News follows Guardian report on licence given to British firm exporting machinery to Armenian firm linked to Russian war effort
British firms will face “much tougher” controls to prevent their goods from reaching Russia via other countries, undermining sanctions and aiding Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine.
Under plans to be unveiled on Wednesday, the government will be able to require UK manufacturers to obtain a licence if they want to export to a country suspected of acting as a staging post for exports ultimately destined for Russia.
It comes after the business minister, Chris Bryant, ordered a review of a decision to allow UK carbon fibre equipment to be exported to an Armenian firm with links to Russia’s war machine, after reporting by the Guardian.
Liam Byrne MP, chair of the business select committee, had written to Bryant raising concerns about the planned export of machinery that can be used in the production of military hardware such as drones and missiles.
