The government has allowed arms sales worth £16 million to central African nations embroiled in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has emerged.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb said the news showed claims of an ethical foreign policy were "a sham".

Meanwhile, a new poll has suggested that the number of people supporting an outright ban on arms exports is increasing.

The poll, carried out for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, found that 45 per cent of people think Britain should not sell any military equipment overseas.