Britain pledges to stop Hong Kong tear gas sales if police use it against protesters again

Britain said it would reopen a review into the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong and seek to block exports if it was used again in the territory.

The call was the clearest signal yet that if Hong Kong police deployed UK-exported tear gas on pro-democracy protesters then a ban would likely follow.

The response by Business Secretary Vince Cable came as he testified in front of the Committee on Arms Export Controls on Monday when MP Mike Gapes asked whether it was time to block the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong.

“On the events of the last few days, we’ll hopefully get advice very quickly on the changes in the situation,” Cable said.

“Subsequently, the judgments that were made earlier in not cancelling the extant licences was: earlier in the demonstrations, tear gas was used once and subsequently that the Hong Kong police was handling this in a proportionate way.

“We will urgently seek to obtain advice whether the position has changed such that we need to review that decision.”

Gapes’ question followed his mistaken belief that tear gas had been used on protesters overnight on Monday, when only pepper spray and water-spraying fire hoses were in fact deployed.