NOW is the time to reaffirm the UK Government’s commitment to nuclear weaponry, the Prime Minister has said – on the day that international efforts to promote a global ban on the technology step up.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Keir Starmer took issue with the SNP’s opposition to nuclear weapons – apparently in response to comments from First Minister John Swinney last week.
The SNP leader suggested that a focus on nuclear weapons was an “inhibitor” to combating current military challenges due to the “resources they command” – and called for the funding allocated for renewing Trident should instead be invested in “conventional weaponry”.
“There are other choices on defence expenditure to be made,” Swinney said.
Calls for the world to move away from nuclear weapons are front and centre at the UN in New York this week, where delegates from around 100 nations are meeting to discuss the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has pushed for the UK to attend as an observer state – which he said would be a “constructive step forward” and “affirm the UK's ability to engage with international norms and aspirations constructively”.
As it stands, the UK is one of nine countries to have nuclear weapons, alongside the US, Russia, China, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea.
In response to a question from SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Starmer stood firmly behind the UK’s nuclear weaponry.
Flynn had said: “There are many issues on which the Prime Minister and I will passionately disagree, but when it comes to the security of Ukraine and support for President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, we are of course united.
“I, too, would wish to commend the Prime Minister on his announcement yesterday and indeed his leadership in the summit with our European allies, and indeed our Canadian allies too.
“Unfortunately this afternoon, it's been reported that President [Donald] Trump is set to meet with American aides to discuss withdrawing military aid to Ukraine.
“Are these reports something that the Prime Minister recognises, and if so, what impact will that have upon the timetable he and President [Emmanuel] Macron are currently working to?”
Responding, Starmer said: “I haven't seen reports of the US withdrawing support for Ukraine, and as I understand it, that is not their position.
“I thank him for his support on this issue – although I was somewhat concerned that the SNP is continuing its suggestion that now is the time to abandon the nuclear deterrent.
“If ever there was a time to reaffirm support for the nuclear deterrent, it is now.
“We mustn't reduce our security and defence. I think it is a completely wrong-headed decision they should reconsider.”
However, US president Trump has made headlines after suggesting that too much money is spent on nuclear weaponry that should be spent elsewhere.
“There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many,” Trump told media at the White House last month.
“You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.
“We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive.”
