The Government was last night accused of double standards over arms sales to Russia after it emerged that officials have approved a massive increase in weaponry to be sold to the country to more than £130m.

MPs warn today that at least 251 export licences for the sale of controlled goods - ranging from sniper rifles to night sights - remain in place despite a call from Prime Minister David Cameron for other countries, in particular France, to halt lucrative arms deals with Moscow.

Downing Street insisted that any arms licences granted for equipment to the Russian military had been suspended in the wake of the MH17 disaster after Mr Cameron singled out French President Francois Hollande’s refusal to call off a £1bn deal to sell Moscow two helicopter carriers.

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The increasingly acrimonious war of words between London and Paris over sales of military hardware to Moscow deepened last night when the head of Mr Hollande’s Socialist ruling party called Mr Cameron a “hypocrite”.

Video: The aftermath of MH17 crash

A powerful select committee of MPs added to Downing Street discomfort over the issue by today calling on the Government to show “more cautious judgment” when approving exports to Russia after the value of licences rocketed by more than half in the last year from £86m to £131.5m.

The increase of 52 per cent in the last 12 months took place despite Britain’s increasingly strident criticism of Russian support - including the supply of arms - for Ukrainian separatists, who have now been blamed for the killing of 298 people on board flight MH17.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash Show all 109 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash 1/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man cycles past a piece of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Petropavlivka, Ukraine 2/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch military personnel carry a coffin containing the remains of the victims of the MH17 plane crash to a hearse at the airbase in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane brought back 74 more coffins containing remains of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash, from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine to the Eindhoven air base in the Netherlands 3/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A couple is backdropped by pictures of victims of the MH17 air crash during a memorial concert in Kharkiv, Ukraine 4/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man lights a candle as family and friends attend a multi-faith service at St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne for those who lost their lives on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 5/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman cries after leaving a photograph (L) on the altar during a multi-faith service at St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne for those who lost their lives on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 6/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Sympathizers hug in front of flowers tribute at the entrance to the Korporaal van Oudheusdenkazerne, army barracks, in Hilversum, The Netherlands, where bodies of the people killed in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 air crash in Ukraine will be identified 7/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Angela (R) and George Dyczynski (L), walk past a Flight MH-17 memorial after arriving at Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands. Mr and Mrs Dyczynski have flown from Perth, Australia, to search for their daughter, Fatima, who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 which crashed in the Ukraine 8/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The tower and airport buildings are reflected in the window of a terminal building as an airline hostess arranges floral tributes placed at the the Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands 9/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the church share their grief at a Multifaith memorial service held for victims of the MH17 disaster at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia 10/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The column of funeral hearses drive near Boxtel after leaving the airbase in Eindhoven to Hilversum, The Netherlands, after the arrival of a Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane with the first bodies of the 298 victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine arrives from Kharkiv, Ukraine 11/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A procession of hearses carrying the bodies of victims in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 crash, depart after a ceremony at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands 12/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (L-R) King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the airbase in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, during the arrival of a Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane with the first bodies of the 298 victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine arrives from Kharkiv, Ukraine 13/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Bodies of victims in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 crash are transferred to funeral hearses by Dutch military personnel during a ceremony at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands. The bodies were flown from Kharkiv, Ukraine, to the Netherlands after being recovered from the crash site 14/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Relatives of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 react as people wearing white clothes gather in memory of the victims, in Amsterdam 15/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People release white balloons in the air during a silent march in memory of the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, on July 23, 2014 in Amsterdam Getty Images 16/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People gather during a silent march in memory of the victims of MH17, in Amsterdam Getty Images 17/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Hearses carry coffins containing unidentified bodies from the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 leave the airport in Eindhoven, Netherlands EPA 18/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A column of funeral hearses carrying the bodies of Dutch passengers after leaving the airbase in Eindhoven EPA 19/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The extent of the wreckage at the site where Malaysia Airlines MH17 crashed near Hrabove (Grabovo) close to Donetsk Reuters 20/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Malaysian man lights up candles during a vigil in remembrance for passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airline flight MH370 & MH17 in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA 21/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Belongings of victims are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region AFP 22/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Flowers lie on the tarmac of Kharkiv airport as a Hercules transport aircraft, belonging to the Royal Dutch Airforce, prepares to take off AFP 23/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Honour guards load a coffin of one of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on to a transport plane heading to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 24/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony in Kharkiv, Ukraine 25/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony on July 23, 2014 in Kharkiv, Ukraine 26/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Honour guards take part in a ceremony with coffins of some of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine before they are being loaded on to a transport plane heading to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 27/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony in Kharkiv, Ukraine 28/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch flags fly half-staff in honour of 3 citizens, a mother,17 year old daughter and 13 year old son were among the victims of flight MH17 in Delft, Netherlands 29/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 On-lookers during a ramp ceremony at Kharkiv Aiport 30/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A worker uses a forklift to load coffins containing some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on to a transport plane before they head to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 31/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People lay coffins containing some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on the tarmac before loading them on a transport plane heading towards the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 32/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian officials attend a farewell ceremony near the transport plane used to carry some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, before it heads off to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 33/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The train carrying the bodies recovered from the downed Malaysian flight MH17 arrives at the Malyshev Plant, in the government-held Ukrainian city of Kharkiv 34/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Ukrainian policeman watches as a train carrying the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine arrives in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine 35/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Police officers secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv factory for a stop 36/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A guard stands on a train carrying the remains of victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine after it arrived in the city of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine 37/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 An armed pro-Russian separatist stands guard as monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and a team of Malaysian air crash investigators inspect the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), Donetsk region 38/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian experts check debris at the main crash site of the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed flying over the eastern Ukraine region, near Grabovo, some 100 km east from Donetsk 39/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Malaysia Special Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, on hand to assist in the investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, wait near the gate of the Malyshev Factory, a state-owned producer of heavy machinery where a train transporting the victims was taken in Kharkiv, Ukraine 40/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet being handed over to Malaysian officials during a press conference in Donetsk 41/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Malaysian expert (L) examines a black box belonging to Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 during its handover from pro-Russian separatists, in Donetsk 42/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Aleksandr Borodai (C), self proclaimed Prime Minister of the self proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic', looks up after speaking at a news conference in which he he handed over the two black boxes of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to Colonel Mohamed Sakri (2-R) of the Malaysian National Security Council during a press conference organized in Donestk 43/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Donetsk People's Republic official (L) and Colonel Mohamed Sakri of the Malaysian National Security Council signing documents during the handing over to Malaysia of the two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet at a press conference in Donetsk 44/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian activist holds banners during a protest at the United Nations office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 45/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Netherlands Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans speaks after a vote at the United Nations. With the backing of Russia, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet and demanded crash site access in rebel-held east Ukraine. Timmermans who flew to New York to attend the Security Council session expressed outrage over the delays in securing the crash site 46/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A photo of Belgian national Benoit Chardome, one of the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines jetliner, is seen during a ceremony in Berchem, Antwerp 47/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Mourners dressed in white leave flowers as they gather in remembrance of the owners of the Asian Glories restaurant, after they were killed in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash over eastern Ukraine, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands 48/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The Dutch government honors the victims of the MH17 plane crash in Ukraine with a full-page advertisement in Dutch newspapers, as seen here in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. The advertisement with the title 'Geschokt en verdrietig' (Shocked and sad) contains the 298 names of the victims 49/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A pair of clogs with a message for Dutch citizens killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is seen in front of the Netherlands Embassy in Washington 50/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People surround a refrigerator wagon as monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and members of a forensic team inspect the remains of victims from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian town of Torez 51/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and members of a forensic team inspect a refrigerator wagon containing the remains of victims from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian town of Torez 52/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (C) leaves the Netherlands embassy in Kiev after signing his condolences ceremony 53/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Pro-Russia rebels guard a train containing the bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 crash in Torez, Ukraine 54/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Alexander Hug (L), Deputy Chief Monitor of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, speaks to reporters after visiting a train containing the bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in Torez, Ukraine 55/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Tirso Pabellon, brother of Irene Pabellon Gunawan, one of three Filipinos who perished in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 passenger plane crash over East Ukraine, leave the Department of Foreign Affairs after obtaining his passport at suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines 56/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Bodies are removed from the site AFP/Getty 57/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry gather the remains of victims at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region 58/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian workers handle debris at the main crash site of the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 59/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Mourners attend a memorial service held for a family of five killed in the flight MH17 disaster, in the suburb of Eynesbury in Melbourne, Australia 60/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima sign a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands 61/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signs a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands 62/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian youth gathers during a candlelight vigil for passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airline crash flight MH17 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 63/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Journalists look at debris from the Boeing 777 Malaysia Arilines flight MH17 64/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Pro-Russian separatists block the way to the crash site of MH17, near the village of Grabove AFP/Getty 65/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Local people roam the wreck of MH17 AFP 66/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Men carry a stretcher with a bodybag at the crash site EPA 67/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A local resident stands among the wreckage at the site of the crash Getty Images 68/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Passengers' belongings lie at the site of the crash Getty Images 69/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Floral tributes are left at the gates of the Dutch Embassy in London and the Dutch flag flies half mast a day after a Malaysian airliner was brought down over Ukraine carrying over 170 Dutch passengers REX 70/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman crosses herself as people lay flowers and light candles in front of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kiev, to commemorate passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which crashed in eastern Ukraine 71/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Personal belongings and luggage of passengers between debris of the Boeing 777, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed during flying over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 72/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Armed pro-Russian militants pass next to the wreckage of a Boeing 777, of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 debris, which crashed during flight over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 73/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Ukrainian Emergency Ministry search for bodies near the site of Thursday's Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo, in the Donetsk region 74/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People search for bodies at the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 75/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A diver searches for a black box on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 76/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Rescuers stand on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 77/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Debris is seen at the site of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo, in the Donetsk region 78/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Belongings of passengers on the site of the crash of the Malaysia Airlines near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 79/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman grieves for victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash as she arrives to lay flowers at the the Dutch embassy in Moscow, Russia 80/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Relatives of a passenger who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur react over the news at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang 81/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Widi Yuliono a relative of John Paulisen, shows photographs of John Paulisen (Top-L), Yuli Hastini (Top-R), Arjuna Martin Paulisen (L) and Sri Paulisen (R) who are victims of the Malaysian Airline flight MH 17 plane disaster in eastern Ukraine, at his residence in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia 82/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People bring flowers and candles to the Dutch embassy to commemorate the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in Kiev 83/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A young boy lights a candle in commemoration of the victims of Malaysia Airlines plane accident in eastern Ukraine in front of the Dutch embassy in Kiev 84/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman holding a sign that reads, "Putin is a murderer", lies down near flowers left by people to commemorate victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash, at the Dutch embassy in Kiev 85/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A family member cries as she receives the news of the ill fated flight MH17 on the phone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 86/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Family members of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 cry at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia 87/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A firefighter sprays water to extinguish a fire, amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 88/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Flames and smoke amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 89/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A firefighter stands as flames burst amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 90/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the pro-Russian separatist 'Donetsk People's Republic' Alexander Borodai (C) stands as he arrives on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 91/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Debris of the Boeing 777, Malaysia Arilines flight MH17, which crashed during flying over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 92/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People walk amongst the debris, at the crash site of a passenger plane in Ukraine AP 93/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The wreckages of the Malaysian airliner Getty Images 94/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 An armed pro-Russian separatist stands at a site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 95/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People stand near part of the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane near Grabovo Reuters 96/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Taken from an amateur video, smoke rises from a fireball seen in the distance shortly after a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane crash AP 97/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man works at putting out a fire at the site of the plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 98/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Smoke rises up at a crash site near the village of Grabovo AP 99/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Smoke rises from the wreckage at the crash site near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 100/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A part of the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane is seen after it crashed near the settlement of Grabovo Reuters 101/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Alleged image of smoke from the crash 102/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 In a picture taken from a mobile phone smoke is seen rising from the crash site AP/Andrei Kashtanov 103/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A general view of the crash site in the Grabovo settlement in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 104/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Emergencies Ministry members work at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region Reuters 105/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 takes off from Schiphol airport near Amsterdam EPA 106/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Outgoing Belgian vice prime minister and foreign minister Didier Reynders makes a statement on the crash AFP/Getty Images 107/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The upper floor of Schiphol Airport is closed for media and reserved for family and relatives of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Reuters 108/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A closed Malaysia Airlines counter at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam EPA 109/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Airport security personnel look at the flight information board in the departure hall, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where flight MH17 was flying to AP 1/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man cycles past a piece of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Petropavlivka, Ukraine 2/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch military personnel carry a coffin containing the remains of the victims of the MH17 plane crash to a hearse at the airbase in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane brought back 74 more coffins containing remains of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash, from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine to the Eindhoven air base in the Netherlands 3/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A couple is backdropped by pictures of victims of the MH17 air crash during a memorial concert in Kharkiv, Ukraine 4/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man lights a candle as family and friends attend a multi-faith service at St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne for those who lost their lives on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 5/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman cries after leaving a photograph (L) on the altar during a multi-faith service at St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne for those who lost their lives on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 6/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Sympathizers hug in front of flowers tribute at the entrance to the Korporaal van Oudheusdenkazerne, army barracks, in Hilversum, The Netherlands, where bodies of the people killed in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 air crash in Ukraine will be identified 7/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Angela (R) and George Dyczynski (L), walk past a Flight MH-17 memorial after arriving at Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands. Mr and Mrs Dyczynski have flown from Perth, Australia, to search for their daughter, Fatima, who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 which crashed in the Ukraine 8/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The tower and airport buildings are reflected in the window of a terminal building as an airline hostess arranges floral tributes placed at the the Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands 9/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the church share their grief at a Multifaith memorial service held for victims of the MH17 disaster at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia 10/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The column of funeral hearses drive near Boxtel after leaving the airbase in Eindhoven to Hilversum, The Netherlands, after the arrival of a Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane with the first bodies of the 298 victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine arrives from Kharkiv, Ukraine 11/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A procession of hearses carrying the bodies of victims in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 crash, depart after a ceremony at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands 12/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (L-R) King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the airbase in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, during the arrival of a Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane with the first bodies of the 298 victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine arrives from Kharkiv, Ukraine 13/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Bodies of victims in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 crash are transferred to funeral hearses by Dutch military personnel during a ceremony at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands. The bodies were flown from Kharkiv, Ukraine, to the Netherlands after being recovered from the crash site 14/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Relatives of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 react as people wearing white clothes gather in memory of the victims, in Amsterdam 15/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People release white balloons in the air during a silent march in memory of the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, on July 23, 2014 in Amsterdam Getty Images 16/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People gather during a silent march in memory of the victims of MH17, in Amsterdam Getty Images 17/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Hearses carry coffins containing unidentified bodies from the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 leave the airport in Eindhoven, Netherlands EPA 18/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A column of funeral hearses carrying the bodies of Dutch passengers after leaving the airbase in Eindhoven EPA 19/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The extent of the wreckage at the site where Malaysia Airlines MH17 crashed near Hrabove (Grabovo) close to Donetsk Reuters 20/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Malaysian man lights up candles during a vigil in remembrance for passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airline flight MH370 & MH17 in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA 21/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Belongings of victims are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region AFP 22/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Flowers lie on the tarmac of Kharkiv airport as a Hercules transport aircraft, belonging to the Royal Dutch Airforce, prepares to take off AFP 23/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Honour guards load a coffin of one of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on to a transport plane heading to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 24/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony in Kharkiv, Ukraine 25/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony on July 23, 2014 in Kharkiv, Ukraine 26/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Honour guards take part in a ceremony with coffins of some of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine before they are being loaded on to a transport plane heading to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 27/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A coffin containing the body of a victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is loaded onto a plane for transport to the Netherlands during a departure ceremony in Kharkiv, Ukraine 28/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch flags fly half-staff in honour of 3 citizens, a mother,17 year old daughter and 13 year old son were among the victims of flight MH17 in Delft, Netherlands 29/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 On-lookers during a ramp ceremony at Kharkiv Aiport 30/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A worker uses a forklift to load coffins containing some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on to a transport plane before they head to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 31/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People lay coffins containing some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on the tarmac before loading them on a transport plane heading towards the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 32/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian officials attend a farewell ceremony near the transport plane used to carry some of the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, before it heads off to the Netherlands at Kharkiv airport 33/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The train carrying the bodies recovered from the downed Malaysian flight MH17 arrives at the Malyshev Plant, in the government-held Ukrainian city of Kharkiv 34/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Ukrainian policeman watches as a train carrying the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine arrives in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine 35/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Police officers secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv factory for a stop 36/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A guard stands on a train carrying the remains of victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 downed over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine after it arrived in the city of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine 37/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 An armed pro-Russian separatist stands guard as monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and a team of Malaysian air crash investigators inspect the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), Donetsk region 38/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian experts check debris at the main crash site of the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed flying over the eastern Ukraine region, near Grabovo, some 100 km east from Donetsk 39/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Malaysia Special Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, on hand to assist in the investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, wait near the gate of the Malyshev Factory, a state-owned producer of heavy machinery where a train transporting the victims was taken in Kharkiv, Ukraine 40/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet being handed over to Malaysian officials during a press conference in Donetsk 41/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A Malaysian expert (L) examines a black box belonging to Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 during its handover from pro-Russian separatists, in Donetsk 42/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Aleksandr Borodai (C), self proclaimed Prime Minister of the self proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic', looks up after speaking at a news conference in which he he handed over the two black boxes of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to Colonel Mohamed Sakri (2-R) of the Malaysian National Security Council during a press conference organized in Donestk 43/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Donetsk People's Republic official (L) and Colonel Mohamed Sakri of the Malaysian National Security Council signing documents during the handing over to Malaysia of the two black boxes recovered from the crash site of the MH17 jet at a press conference in Donetsk 44/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian activist holds banners during a protest at the United Nations office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 45/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Netherlands Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans speaks after a vote at the United Nations. With the backing of Russia, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet and demanded crash site access in rebel-held east Ukraine. Timmermans who flew to New York to attend the Security Council session expressed outrage over the delays in securing the crash site 46/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A photo of Belgian national Benoit Chardome, one of the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines jetliner, is seen during a ceremony in Berchem, Antwerp 47/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Mourners dressed in white leave flowers as they gather in remembrance of the owners of the Asian Glories restaurant, after they were killed in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash over eastern Ukraine, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands 48/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The Dutch government honors the victims of the MH17 plane crash in Ukraine with a full-page advertisement in Dutch newspapers, as seen here in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. The advertisement with the title 'Geschokt en verdrietig' (Shocked and sad) contains the 298 names of the victims 49/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A pair of clogs with a message for Dutch citizens killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is seen in front of the Netherlands Embassy in Washington 50/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People surround a refrigerator wagon as monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and members of a forensic team inspect the remains of victims from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian town of Torez 51/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and members of a forensic team inspect a refrigerator wagon containing the remains of victims from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian town of Torez 52/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (C) leaves the Netherlands embassy in Kiev after signing his condolences ceremony 53/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Pro-Russia rebels guard a train containing the bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 crash in Torez, Ukraine 54/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Alexander Hug (L), Deputy Chief Monitor of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, speaks to reporters after visiting a train containing the bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in Torez, Ukraine 55/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Tirso Pabellon, brother of Irene Pabellon Gunawan, one of three Filipinos who perished in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 passenger plane crash over East Ukraine, leave the Department of Foreign Affairs after obtaining his passport at suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines 56/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Bodies are removed from the site AFP/Getty 57/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry gather the remains of victims at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region 58/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Ukrainian workers handle debris at the main crash site of the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 59/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Mourners attend a memorial service held for a family of five killed in the flight MH17 disaster, in the suburb of Eynesbury in Melbourne, Australia 60/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima sign a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands 61/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signs a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands 62/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysian youth gathers during a candlelight vigil for passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airline crash flight MH17 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 63/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Journalists look at debris from the Boeing 777 Malaysia Arilines flight MH17 64/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Pro-Russian separatists block the way to the crash site of MH17, near the village of Grabove AFP/Getty 65/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Local people roam the wreck of MH17 AFP 66/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Men carry a stretcher with a bodybag at the crash site EPA 67/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A local resident stands among the wreckage at the site of the crash Getty Images 68/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Passengers' belongings lie at the site of the crash Getty Images 69/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Floral tributes are left at the gates of the Dutch Embassy in London and the Dutch flag flies half mast a day after a Malaysian airliner was brought down over Ukraine carrying over 170 Dutch passengers REX 70/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman crosses herself as people lay flowers and light candles in front of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kiev, to commemorate passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which crashed in eastern Ukraine 71/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Personal belongings and luggage of passengers between debris of the Boeing 777, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed during flying over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 72/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Armed pro-Russian militants pass next to the wreckage of a Boeing 777, of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 debris, which crashed during flight over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 73/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Members of the Ukrainian Emergency Ministry search for bodies near the site of Thursday's Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo, in the Donetsk region 74/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People search for bodies at the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 75/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A diver searches for a black box on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 76/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Rescuers stand on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 77/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Debris is seen at the site of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo, in the Donetsk region 78/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Belongings of passengers on the site of the crash of the Malaysia Airlines near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 79/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman grieves for victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash as she arrives to lay flowers at the the Dutch embassy in Moscow, Russia 80/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Relatives of a passenger who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur react over the news at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang 81/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Widi Yuliono a relative of John Paulisen, shows photographs of John Paulisen (Top-L), Yuli Hastini (Top-R), Arjuna Martin Paulisen (L) and Sri Paulisen (R) who are victims of the Malaysian Airline flight MH 17 plane disaster in eastern Ukraine, at his residence in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia 82/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People bring flowers and candles to the Dutch embassy to commemorate the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in Kiev 83/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A young boy lights a candle in commemoration of the victims of Malaysia Airlines plane accident in eastern Ukraine in front of the Dutch embassy in Kiev 84/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A woman holding a sign that reads, "Putin is a murderer", lies down near flowers left by people to commemorate victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash, at the Dutch embassy in Kiev 85/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A family member cries as she receives the news of the ill fated flight MH17 on the phone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 86/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Family members of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 cry at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia 87/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A firefighter sprays water to extinguish a fire, amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 88/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Flames and smoke amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 89/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A firefighter stands as flames burst amongst the wreckages of the Malaysian airliner near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 90/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the pro-Russian separatist 'Donetsk People's Republic' Alexander Borodai (C) stands as he arrives on the site of the crash of a Malaysian airliner, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine 91/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Debris of the Boeing 777, Malaysia Arilines flight MH17, which crashed during flying over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk 92/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People walk amongst the debris, at the crash site of a passenger plane in Ukraine AP 93/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The wreckages of the Malaysian airliner Getty Images 94/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 An armed pro-Russian separatist stands at a site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 95/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 People stand near part of the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane near Grabovo Reuters 96/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Taken from an amateur video, smoke rises from a fireball seen in the distance shortly after a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane crash AP 97/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A man works at putting out a fire at the site of the plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 98/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Smoke rises up at a crash site near the village of Grabovo AP 99/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Smoke rises from the wreckage at the crash site near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 100/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A part of the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane is seen after it crashed near the settlement of Grabovo Reuters 101/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Alleged image of smoke from the crash 102/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 In a picture taken from a mobile phone smoke is seen rising from the crash site AP/Andrei Kashtanov 103/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A general view of the crash site in the Grabovo settlement in the Donetsk region of Ukraine Reuters 104/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Emergencies Ministry members work at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region Reuters 105/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 takes off from Schiphol airport near Amsterdam EPA 106/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Outgoing Belgian vice prime minister and foreign minister Didier Reynders makes a statement on the crash AFP/Getty Images 107/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 The upper floor of Schiphol Airport is closed for media and reserved for family and relatives of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Reuters 108/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 A closed Malaysia Airlines counter at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam EPA 109/109 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Airport security personnel look at the flight information board in the departure hall, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where flight MH17 was flying to AP

As the European Union last night announced it was considering targeting defence sales as part of widened sanctions against Moscow, Labour claimed the Conservative Party had also accepted donations worth more than £900,00 since 2007 from Russians with alleged links to the Russian government.

The exhaustive report by MPs on sales to 28 countries deemed by the Government to be “of human rights concern” found that Britain last year issued 285 separate licences for the sale of weaponry and controlled goods to Russia, including £1.6m of small arms ammunition, 38 sniper rifles, components for assault rifles and combat shotguns, and cryptography equipment worth £74m.

A five-year licence was also granted last year by Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) for the shipping of multiple military components, including missile components and launching technology, to Russian territory.

Officials in Business Secretary Vince Cable’s department last night insisted the licence applied to a contingency agreement to supply emergency spare parts to the Brazilian navy in 23 countries, including Russia, and no missile parts had been sent to Russia under the deal.

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But MPs questioned whether there were enough checks in place to ensure that a long list of arms and weaponry approved for export to Russia reached its declared end user and said Britain needed to be significantly more circumspect about what it agreed to sell to authoritarian countries.

Sir John Stanley, chairman of the House of Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC), said: “Our view is that there should be a more cautious approach. We have been appealing for a more considered approach to Russia for some time. I think many people would be wondering why the UK is giving export approval to the considerable number of items on that list?”

The senior Conservative MP said last night he would be writing to Mr Cameron for clarification on which further weaponry exports to Russia have now been banned amid criticism from anti-arms trade campaigners that Britain was only taking action because of the international outcry over the Malaysia Airlines atrocity.

Andrew Smith, from the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “All too often it takes a humanitarian catastrophe before the UK Government practices arms control. We welcome tighter regulation of the arms trade, but when the UK’s target markets include oppressive Governments, it doesn’t just give them military support, it also indicates political support.”

Former Foreign Secretary William Hague announced in March that it was suspending all licences existing licences and applications of military and dual-use equipment to Russia where it was or could be used against Ukraine.



Sir John said this had resulted in the suspension of the “relatively small number” of just 34 of the 285 approved sales to Russia. The Government last night insisted that the “majority” of remaining export licences for Russia applied to items for “for commercial use”.

The annual report by the MPs, based on joint meetings of four separate Commons’ select committees, also accused Mr Cable of quietly dropping a longstanding plank of Britain’s arms export policy to make sales to oppressive regimes such as Russia easier.

The report found that the Government last year approved sales worth £11.9bn to 28 countries designated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as being “of human rights concern”, including £1.7bn each to Saudi Arabia and China. Sales to Israel, also named on the FCO list, were dominated by a single deal - worth £7.8bn - of cryptographic equipment and software to an unnamed customer in the country.

Since 2000, arms sales had been considered alongside criteria which states: “An export licence will not be issued if the arguments for doing so are outweighed by concern that the goods might be used for internal repression or international aggression”.

Despite being omitted from stated Government criteria, BIS officials last night insisted the move did constitute a change of policy and safeguards remains in place.

But the MPs strongly criticised the move. Sir John said: “We don’t accept that there has been no change of policy. This is very important policy wording and it has been dropped.”

The MPs were also strongly critical of the current Government and its Labour predecessor for approving the sale of chemical weapon precursors to Syria despite the knowledge that the country’s regime was developing a nerve gas stockpile.

The report described the decision under Labour to grant five export licences for “dual-use” nerve gas ingredients between 2004 and 2010 as “highly questionable” and said the decision by the Coalition to grant to further licences in 2012 - after the civil war had started - as “irresponsible”.

A Government spokesperson said: “The UK aims to operate one of the most robust and transparent export control systems in the world. Every application is examined rigorously against internationally recognised criteria and particular attention is paid to human rights risks.”

Eastern promise: The Tories’ Russian donors

Alexander Temerko

A former vice-president of oil giant Yukos, Mr Temerko fled Russia and received UK citizenship after being charged with fraud. He is a director of Offshore Group Newcastle, who specialise in offshore wind, and gas and oil platforms. He has personally donated around £259,230 to the Conservative Party since 2012. OGN has also donated £185,325 to the Tories.

Lubov and Vladimir Chernukhin

Lubov Chernukhin paid £160,000 at the most recent Tory summer ball for a game of tennis with David Cameron. She is married to Vladimir Chernukhin, former deputy finance minister of Russia. Mr Chenhukhin is also a former director of Aeroflot, JCS Russian Agricultural Bank, Vnesheconombank, and Polyus Gold International Limited until April 2014.

New Century Media

Had a table at the Tory summer ball and have donated £91,000 to the Conservatives. The lobbying company has worked with organisations such as “Positive Russia” – which seeks to portray Vladimir Putin and Russia in a positive light, and invited Mr Putin’s judo partner Vasily Shestakov and billionaire Andrei Klyamko to the ball.