Reed Elsevier, the publisher and exhibitions group, ended its involvement in the arms trade yesterday after a sustained campaign from doctors, healthcare groups, authors and pacifist organisations.

The group, which owns the medical journal The Lancet, had faced boycotts and continued protests from authors, academics and medical professionals. They said that the group’s role in organising arms fairs undermined The Lancet’s attempts to improve health. Reed Elsevier’s biggest arms fair is the Defence Systems and Equipment International, which is held every two years at London’s Excel arena. The group will stage the next show in September but will quit the defence exhibitions sector by the second half of this year.

The pressure on Reed Elsevier began seriously two years ago when editors of The Lancet urged the company “to divest itself of all business interests that threaten human, and especially civilian, health and wellbeing”.

Last year 13 authors, including Ian McEwan, A. S. Byatt and Nick Hornby, also called on the company to quit the arms trade market.

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Sir Crispin Davis, chief executive, said: “Our defence shows are quality businesses, which have performed well in recent years. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear that growing numbers of important customers and authors have very real concerns about our involvement in the defence exhibitions business.

“We have listened closely to these concerns and this has led us to conclude that the defence shows are no longer compatible with Reed Elsevier’s position as a leading publisher of scientific, medical, legal and business content.”

Reed Elsevier has also come under pressure from some investors over its arms involvement. In February the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust sold its shares worth £2 million in the business because of its continued work in defence exhibitions. The move followed F&C Management’s decision to remove Reed Elsevier from its list of approved ethical investments.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has also targeted the publishing group. Yesterday it said: “CAAT applauds the board of Reed Elsevier for recognising the concerns of its stakeholders. The decision shows that the arms trade is an abhorrent activity and that it has no place within a reputable business.”

Reed Elsevier said that its defence exhibitions made up about 0.5 per cent of its turnover, or £20-£25 million. Medical and science publications, however, account for about 14 per cent, or as much as £700 million.

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