12 February 2007: for immediate release
In the run-up to the debate and vote in parliament on Trident replacement, CND will host a ‘No Trident Replacement’ public meeting today, Monday 12th February, from 7-9 pm in Methodist Central Hall, Westminster.
There will be a wide-ranging panel of speakers to put the case against Trident replacement. Speakers include:
· Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
· John Vidal, Environment Editor, The Guardian
· Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading
· Anas Altikriti, British Muslim Initiative
· Louise Richards, War on Want
· Edward Pearce, Writer and Journalist
· Lindsey German, Stop the War Coalition
· Kate Hudson, Chair CND
The meeting also comes at a time of heightened public concern due to the recent revelation of the true costs of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme over the next half-century. If the government’s plans go ahead, the programme is likely to cost over £100 billion, according to the government’s own figures published in the recent white paper.
CND, the Stop the War Coalition, and the British Muslim Initiative are organising a national demonstration in London on Saturday 24th February, calling for ‘No Trident’ and ‘Troops Home from Iraq.’ It is expected to be Britain’s largest anti-nuclear demonstration in decades.
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND’s Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. According to a July 2006 ICM poll, 59% of the British public opposes a replacement of Trident when presented with a cost of at least £25 billion.
3. An ICM poll from June 2006 showed that 81% of the British public believes that any decision on Trident replacement should be made by Parliament, not the Prime Minister alone.
4. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.