24 November 2005: for immediate release
No Trident Replacement Public Meeting, Tuesday 6th December, 6.30 – 8.30pm,
Committee Room 10, House of Commons, Nr Tube Westminster
Former Cabinet Ministers are set to step up the campaign against Trident Replacement at a public meeting in Parliament organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Clare Short MP and Michael Meacher MP will be joined by MPs from across the political spectrum, trade union leaders and campaigners to discuss one of the most important issues of the moment.
The meeting will be addressed by former Cabinet Ministers Clare Short MP and Michael Meacher MP along side Gordon Prentice MP, Katy Clark MP, Jim Devine MP (MP for Robin Cook’s former Constituency), Alan Simpson MP, Baroness Jenny Tonge (Liberal Democrat Peer), Elfyn Llwyd MP (Plaid Cymru), Angus Robertson MP (SNP), There will also be speakers from Trade Unions: Keith Sonnet, UNISON, Barry Camfield, TGWU, John McGhee, FBU, and London Assembly Member Jenny Jones. They will be joined by CND’s Chair, Kate Hudson, Vice-Chair Jeremy Corbyn MP, and Vice-President Bruce Kent.
Speakers will demand that a full public and parliamentary debate takes place on the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system, and that the option of not replacing Trident must be on the table. They will argue, amongst other things, that a replacement will undermine the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at a time when the latest US doctrine foresees the use of nuclear weapons once again. The cost of replacement will also be raised. It is estimated that a replacement will cost the British taxpayer an estimated £25 billion. MPs will raise the demand for a Green Paper on the replacement issue.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said,
“A full debate and vote must be taken on the issue of Trident replacement. The government must not be allowed to take this decision behind closed doors. Far from deterring nuclear threats, replacing Trident will increase the risk of nuclear conflict. The British government should take this opportunity to press for nuclear disarmament worldwide, as required under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and become a force for peace in the world”
Britain’s nuclear weapon system Trident will reach the end of its lifespan in 2025. A decision will be made in this parliament on its replacement. It is estimated that the total cost of replacing ‘Trident’ missiles, warheads, submarines and related facilities could be as much as £25 billion.
For press credentials contact Ruth Tanner on 07968 420859
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Ruth Tanner CND’s Press & Communications Officer on 0207 7002350 or 07968 4208592. For details of CNDs No to Trident Replacement Campaign – www.cnduk.org
3. No Trident Replacement Meeting leaflet https://www.cnduk.org/pages/6decflyr.pdf
4. CND’s No Trident Replacement Briefing https://www.cnduk.org/pages/binfo/Tdtrep.pdf
5. In a recent MORI/Greenpeace poll 54% of the British public said they would oppose a costly replacement of Trident. This clearly shows that when faced with the financial implications of replacing Trident the majority (54%) oppose the development of a new nuclear weapons system. CND believes this money would be better spent on defeating poverty at home and abroad, and providing for employment, education and health. For full details of the Greenpeace / MORI poll – http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/MultimediaFiles/Live/FullReport/7269.pdf
6. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.