Monday 3rd December
3.35pm: Gates of Downing Street on Whitehall with ‘Cut Trident’ posters
3.45pm: Hand-in at 11 Downing Street
On Monday 3rd December, MPs will hand in a ‘Cut Trident’ letter to the Chancellor at 11 Downing Street. The letter protests against the cuts expected to be announced in the Autumn Statement, while billions continue to be poured into the Trident nuclear weapons system and its proposed replacement. See the full text of the letter below.
The letter will be handed in by Chair of Parliamentary CND, Jeremy Corbyn MP, with Michael Connarty MP, Julian Huppert MP and others to be confirmed.
The letter accompanies over one thousand emails sent to the Chancellor as part of CND’s new online campaign – urging him to spend the money being committed to Trident on something socially useful such as housing.
Advance Notice: Cut Trident Downing St protest
Wednesday 5th December
6-7pm: Whitehall (opposite Downing Street)
On the day of the Autumn Statement (Wednesday 5th), CND supporters will be taking part in a Cut Trident protest, along with many other anti-cuts protesters, on Whitehall opposite Downing Street.
Full text of letter to George Osborne:
“Dear Chancellor,
In the forthcoming Autumn Statement, you have an opportunity to change economic course.
As the British people face major cuts in public spending, it appears there is one cut you have not yet considered: the enormous and unjustified cost of replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system.
Funding Trident and its replacement comes at the cost of key services and facilities across the economy – including education, health, housing and conventional defence.
The Ministry of Defence estimates the replacement submarines will cost at least £25 billion and – taken together with the system’s lifetime costs – the total bill could be well over £100 billion.
£2 billion has already been spent on concept and design work – a figure which the MoD says will double before the 2016 Main Gate decision point. Such high levels of pre-decision spending give us grave concern that we will then be told we have no choice but to proceed.
This is money we can not afford – the government should take this opportunity to cancel Trident and its replacement.
Yours,
Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Burden, Ronnie Campbell, Martin Caton, Katy Clark, Michael Connarty, John Cryer, Paul Flynn, George Galloway, Fabian Hamilton, Mike Hancock, Julian Huppert, John Leech, Caroline Lucas, John McDonnell, Paul Flynn, Angus MacNeil, Graeme Morrice, Grahame Morris, Angus Robertson, Joan Ruddock, Yasmin Qureshi, Mike Weir, Eilidh Whiteford, Pete Wishart.”