Negotiations began at the United Nations yesterday (Monday the 27th of March) to formulate a ban on nuclear weapons. Representatives from the UK government were not in attendance. 

Anti-nuclear weapons campaigners have condemned the British government for boycotting the talks. As Real Media reported last week, a recent Yougov poll showed that 75% of Brits think the government should support the talks. 

Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:

“The hypocrisy of the government’s position is staggering. These are UN multilateral negotiations for a treaty to ban all nuclear weapons. The government says it supports multilateral nuclear disarmament, so why is it boycotting a serious attempt by the overwhelming majority of the international community to do just that?
 
“In July last year, when the government asked MPs to back the £205 billion plan to replace our own nuclear weapons system, the motion stated they would press ‘for key steps towards multilateral disarmament’. It’s now clear this was entirely false.

“What precisely does the government think will promote progress on global nuclear disarmament? It insists that it wants a ‘step by step’ process to that goal, but when will those steps be taken, especially when its most recent step has been to commit vast sums to a new fleet of nuclear weapons submarines. Surely one of those steps must be to sit down with world leaders to discuss a way forward? What will be lost by participating?”