Papers released under freedom of information laws have revealed how the British government secretly authorised bribes on arms sales.

The Guardian reports that many of the documents released date from the late 1970s, when the last Labour government was in power under James Callaghan.

A series of scandals around this time led the US to outlaw overseas bribery, but Britain refused to follow suit.

Critics say the government ignored international cases of arms bribery until 2002, when it was eventually criminalised.