In 1968 a deal was struck; The five countries including the UK who already possessed the bomb promised to work towards complete disarmament and in return the other states promised not to develop their own nuclear weapons. 48 years later the UK is planning to buy a new generation of nuclear armed submarines and our commitment to disarmament appears hollow. Last year the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a series of discussions to work out paths toward multilateral disarmament. The latest round of these discussions has taken place over the past ten days. They have been attended by the majority of the world’s states. Unfortunately the UK Disarmament Ambassador has (again) been instructed by Foreign and Commonwealth Office to boycott proceedings. The snub to the United Nations is all the more potent when you consider that the office of the UK Disarmament Ambassador is in Geneva where these discussions are taking place.
Joint Public Issues 13th May 2016 read more »