Britain has said it will push for a new arms trade treaty to prevent unregulated and irresponsible arms sales across the globe and introduce international regulations to stamp out unscrupulous practices, during the July session of the United Nations.

Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies, IISS in London , Secretary of state for International Development Alan Duncan said, laws in different countries to regulate the arms industry needed to have common international standards, including making brokers accountable.

Stating that currently a variable patchwork of regulation exists across the world, he said that some Governments have very robust arms trade control systems in place, but other Governments are fuelling the illicit and irresponsible trade in arms by not having any control systems at all, or by only having weak systems.

Duncan added that as there are no common international standards for the arms trade, gaps and loopholes occur in it.

The proposed treaty is intended to close loopholes that currently allow corruption to thrive and weapons to be diverted on to the illicit market.