Jubilee Debt Campaign UK : Dodgy Deals : TAKE ACTION: End Britain's Dodgy Deals

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TAKE ACTION: End Britain's Dodgy Deals

Welcome to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), a little known British Government department which uses taxpayers’ money to back exports to the developing world.

All too often, it underwrites dodgy deals which lead to human rights abuses, corruption, climate change and conflict.

What’s more, when these deals go wrong, they become Third World Debts. Over 90% of developing country debt to the UK is now Export Credit debt.

Since the financial crisis, rather than tightening up ECGD rules to promote responsible finance, the UK has relaxed them even further – including by making a ban on forced or child labour in ECGD projects ‘optional’ in some cases.

Take action!

Please write to the new Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, and ask him to put an end to Britain’s dodgy deals.

To act now, please fill in the boxes below. Feel free to add to or change the text of the message. (Fields marked * are required.)

your message: *
Dear Vince Cable MP, I'm writing to you about a government department that uses taxpayers' money to support irresponsible UK companies exporting overseas. The Export Credits Guarantee Department has given public support to projects including arms deals, coal power plants, and oil pipelines. When these third world exports go wrong, the ECGD pays the company out, and adds the cost to that country's debt - even when projects fuelled human rights violations, environmental damage or corruption. It's no wonder the ECGD is being called the Department for Dodgy Deals. Please conduct a full review of the ECGD's remit and procedures - not just its support for fossil fuel projects - to make it fit for purpose in a new era of responsible finance. In particular, I would like you to: - Publicly audit all outstanding ECGD debts and cancel those found to be unjust. - Adopt and enforce much stronger standards for ECGD deals, to ensure public money is used to promote a green economy, human rights and the end of poverty, not dodgy projects and arms sales. - Stop converting failed exports into Third World Debt. I look forward to hearing your response. Yours sincerely,

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