Briefings and Information
Britain and the NPT
Memorandum from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to
delegates to the NPT PrepCom
April 2003
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version
Summary
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is concerned that Britain
has made no significant progress on implementing Article VI or the 2000
NPT Final Document since the last Review Conference. Instead Britain is
collaborating closely with the United States on projects that undermine
or breach the 13 points in the NPT Final Document, such as missile defence,
nuclear weapons research and development, and nuclear strategy.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament calls on Tony Blair to make an unequivocal
commitment to accomplish the elimination of Britain’s nuclear weapons
and to demonstrate this commitment by taking steps to phase out the UK
Trident programme and rule out plans for future nuclear weapon systems.
Britain has made no significant progress on nuclear disarmament
since the 2000 NPT Review Conference
Last year, Britain’s representative at the NPT PrepCom Ambassador
Peter Jenkins announced that the UK had:
- “unilaterally reduced our operationally available stockpile
to fewer than 200 warheads, which represents a reduction of more than
70% in the potential explosive power of our deterrent since the end
of the Cold War.”[i]
The 70% reduction in explosive power of British nuclear weapons has
been largely achieved by replacing older, higher yield warheads such as
Polaris and WE-177 with the lower yield, but more flexible Trident warhead.
Ambassador Jenkins said:
- “we have reduced the readiness of our nuclear forces. Only a
single Trident submarine is now on deterrent patrol, carrying 48 warheads.
The submarine on patrol is normally on several days "notice to
fire" and its missiles are de-targeted.”[2]
The UK has only had a single nuclear-armed submarine on patrol dating
back to the introduction of Polaris in the 1980s. Polaris is believed
to have carried between 32 and 48 warheads per submarine, so in what way
is the deployment of the more capable Trident submarines a reduction?
- “and we have withdrawn the UK's freefall nuclear bomb, leaving
Trident as our only nuclear system.”[3]
The retirement of the UK’s freefall nuclear bomb, the WE-177,
was announced prior to the NPT Review Conference in 1995.
None of these UK “achievements” of the “last few years”
are new – all were included in the UK’s 1998 Strategic Defence
Review. Some date back to 1995. The UK has made it clear that it intends
to do little more in the run up to the 2005 Review Conference. According
to Ambassador Jenkins: “Having reduced our nuclear weapons to a
single system at the minimum level necessary for the UK's national security,
further unilateral steps we can take now without compromising that security
are limited.”
Britain is collaborating closely with US on nuclear
policy
Far from making an unequivocal commitment
to eliminate British nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s
number one foreign policy goal is “to remain the closest ally of
the United States”.[4] British collaboration
with the United States includes:
Nuclear Posture
Although the UK agreed to pursue “a diminishing role for
nuclear weapons in security policies”, along with the United States,
the UK has refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons in the current
conflict with Iraq.[5]
According to Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon, “the long
standing British government policy that if our forces – if our people
– were threatened by weapons of mass destruction we would reserve
the right to use appropriate proportionate responses which might…
in extreme circumstances include the use of nuclear weapons.”[6]
Nuclear Weapons Cooperation
Although the UK is supposed to be engaging in the process leading to elimination
of its nuclear weapons, it is still pursuing the option to develop new
nuclear weapons in future. The UK Ministry of Defence has submitted plans
to develop a “state-of-the-art nuclear weapons plant” at the
UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston.[7]
Joint US-UK Working Groups cover all aspects of nuclear weapons policy
and in recent years hundreds of meetings have taken place.[8]
The UK has participated in US sub-critical tests at the Nevada Test Site
and scientists at Aldermaston cooperate closely with their counterparts
at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories in the United States.
Missile Defence
Despite the fact that the UK agreed to preserve and strengthen the ABM
Treaty in the 2000 NPT Final Document, the UK Government has given full
backing to US missile defence plans including allowing the US to use British
bases at Menwith Hill and Fylingdales as part of the missile defence system.
Recommendations
Tony Blair claims that tackling weapons of mass destruction is
one of the key aims of British foreign policy. If Britain really believes
that the NPT is the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime, it must
take action to implement and strengthen the Treaty.
CND calls on Tony Blair to:
- Give an unequivocal commitment to accomplish the total elimination
of the UK’s nuclear arsenal and to demonstrate this commitment
by taking steps to phase out the UK Trident programme and rule out plans
for future nuclear weapon systems.
- Implement Labour’s manifesto commitment to work for the global
elimination of nuclear weapons by supporting efforts to achieve a Nuclear
Weapons Convention.
CND calls on the British delegation to the NPT PrepCom to:
- Reaffirm Britain’s support for the 2000 NPT Final Document and
the 13 practical steps identified for systematic and progressive efforts
to implement Article VI of the Treaty.
- Provide clear and factual reporting on steps taken by Britain to implement
these steps since the last PrepCom meeting.
- Indicate further actions that Britain is planning to take to make
progress on the 13 steps by the 2005 Review Conference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Opening Statements, United Kingdom: Ambassador Peter
Jenkins, NPT PrepCom, 9 April 2002.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Tony Blair, “Britain’s Place in the World”, speech
to Foreign Office Conference in London, 7 January 2003.
[5] Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon MP, House of Commons, Official
Report, 3 March 2003, Column 578.
[6] Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon MP, speaking on the Jonathan
Dimbleby programme, ITV, 24 March 2002.
[7] Mark Townsend, “Secret Plan for N-bomb factory”, The Observer,
16 June 2002.
[8] House of Commons, Official Report, 25 Jan 2002, Column 1116W. |
