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Al-Yamamah Arms Agreement

The hon. Gentleman normally has a higher standard of wit than that. I was talking about our relationships with developing countries. I do not know whether the Minister for the Middle East has seen the DVD that his Department is promoting around Africa, but it is a sort of do-it-yourself guide to how not to be corrupt. It is entitled, apparently with no sense of irony, ““The Crimes of the Establishment””. That is the British message to the developing world. Then there is the impact on the reputation of British companies that are trying to be honest and comply with the law. Several leading financial institutions that are involved in managing City funds have commented on the matter to the Prime Minister. One of the largest, Hermes, said:"““The decision has threatened the UK’s reputation as a leading financial centre and will have high long-term costs for business and investment””" The chairman of AngloAmerican, one of our leading multinational companies, said in an email to me:"““I agree that the Government handling of the affair has damaged the reputation of Britain and the efforts of many responsible companies to build transparent relationships in overseas operations and contract negotiations will be set back and affected by suspicion and cynicism.””"