On March 27th negotiations will begin at the UN on a nuclear weapons ban treaty. Write to the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, to ask him to engage constructively with the negotiations.
It has always been a key aspect of Trident Ploughshares that we are open to dialogue on nuclear disarmament, and that we have fallen back on direct action because those in power have refused to engage in such dialogue.
Last year the General Assembly’s First Committee voted in favour of disarmament negotiations taking place in March and June/July 2017. The UK (represented by an ambassador, rather than a minister) voted against, even though it is claims to support multilateral disarmament.
You may additionally wish to write to your MP. Some MPs claim never to receive any correspondence on Trident, so it can help our cause to some degree if you do write to them, even if you think their response will be predictably disappointing. A letter to Boris Johnson should take priority, however.
Below is a model letter. You can adopt this wording, or use your own words. Please let us know of any responses you get.
You can e-mail: fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk
Or post to: The Rt Hon Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AA.
Dear Boris Johnson
I am writing to ask you to attend and take part in the UN negotiations on a treaty for the worldwide prohibition of nuclear weapons. The first round of talks is scheduled for March 2017, and I urge you to make this a priority.
The UK Government has repeatedly stated its commitment to working towards international nuclear disarmament. This is clearly to be seen in the policy paper 2010-2015 Government Policy: Nuclear Disarmament’, available on the Government’s website, which states: ‘We believe that sustainable nuclear disarmament can only be achieved through a multilateral process.’
It was therefore disappointing that the UK Government missed the opportunity to turn this rhetoric into action when the opportunity arose, and voted against negotiating a treaty when the matter came before the General Assembly’s First Committee. As you will know, the majority of member states voted for the negotiations to take place. You may also know that North Korea, one of the states most often accused of providing a nuclear threat, was among those in favour.
I very much hope that you will be able both to remedy this missed opportunity and to make good on the Government’s long-stated commitment to multilateral nuclear disarmament by attending these negotiations and explaining how the UK will meet this commitment. I also hope that you will encourage other states opposed to the process, principally the other nuclear states and NATO members, to come on board as well.
I look forward to hearing from you about what plans the UK has to engage with these negotiations.
Yours sincerely
I am writing to ask you to attend and take part in the UN negotiations on a treaty for the worldwide prohibition of nuclear weapons. The first round of talks is scheduled for March 2017, and I urge you to make this a priority.
The UK Government has repeatedly stated its commitment to working towards international nuclear disarmament. This is clearly to be seen in the policy paper 2010-2015 Government Policy: Nuclear Disarmament’, available on the Government’s website, which states: ‘We believe that sustainable nuclear disarmament can only be achieved through a multilateral process.’
It was therefore disappointing that the UK Government missed the opportunity to turn this rhetoric into action when the opportunity arose, and voted against negotiating a treaty when the matter came before the General Assembly’s First Committee. As you will know, the majority of member states voted for the negotiations to take place. You may also know that North Korea, one of the states most often accused of providing a nuclear threat, was among those in favour.
I very much hope that you will be able both to remedy this missed opportunity and to make good on the Government’s long-stated commitment to multilateral nuclear disarmament by attending these negotiations and explaining how the UK will meet this commitment. I also hope that you will encourage other states opposed to the process, principally the other nuclear states and NATO members, to come on board as well.
I look forward to hearing from you about what plans the UK has to engage with these negotiations.
Yours sincerely