Anti-poverty protesters lobby MPs

The campaign on world poverty has been high profile in 2005

Anti-poverty protesters have called for trade justice in a demonstration at Westminster.

Thousands of constituents, carrying banners and wearing armbands, lined up to lobby their local MPs.

Campaigners fear talks at the World Trade Organisation next month could further push poor countries to open up.

International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said it was crucial for trade rules to be flexible so poorer countries could open their markets.

Ahead of the protest one charity accused the government of failing on pledges that they would avoid forced liberalisation of developing countries.

Demonstrators had contacted hundreds of MPs ahead of the protest which attracted the support of filmmaker Richard Curtis, actor Damian Lewis and pop group Razorlight.

We are sick of ministers parroting our slogans back at us while pursuing policies that...have been shown to hurt the poor Peter Hardstaff, World Development Movement

MSPs from all parties joined campaigners for a protest at the Scottish Parliament.

Earlier John Hillary, director of campaigns at charity War on Want, accused the government of "open deceit" over international trade policies.

"We saw the Blair government making massive political capital out of the fact that they were going to be the ones to help make poverty history this year," he said.

The prime minister had accepted the conclusions of the Commission for Africa that forcing liberalisation on poor countries was a damaging practice, Mr Hillary said.

He said Labour Party had promised not to do so several times.

"Despite all of those pledges there has been absolutely nothing done to turn around the government's very aggressive policy towards forcing open countries' markets."

Instead, he said there had been more pressure on developing countries to do so.

Hilary Benn was positive about what talks in Hong Kong in December could achieve.

"If we can end this year having made the same sort of progress on trade justice as we did on aid and debt (in the summer at Gleneagles), the world's poorest countries will be much better able to lift themselves out of poverty and dependency.

"Developing countries' needs must be placed at the heart of world trading reforms to be discussed in Hong Kong in December.

"It's crucial that world trade rules are flexible, so that poor countries can choose to open their markets to world competition at the time that is right for them.

Uncontrolled investment

But World Development Movement (WDM) policy chief Peter Hardstaff said: "Despite calling 2005 the year for Africa the government had already failed to do nearly enough on aid and debt cancellation.

"Now they are pushing developing countries to open their markets in return for reform of the EU's agricultural policy.

He continued: "We are sick of ministers parroting our slogans back at us while pursuing policies that are opposed by many developing country governments and have been shown to hurt the poor."

Coalition group Make Poverty History says many rich countries use trade rules to force poor countries to open their markets to competition, allowing in uncontrolled foreign investment, often by large multi-national firms.