CND Press Round-Up - 17th March 2021
Posted: 17th March 2021
Please find today’s press round up below. Whilst the announcement, confirmed in Parliament yesterday by Boris Johnson, that the UK intends to lift the cap on its number of nuclear weapons is a deeply depressing one, it has meant there has been a high degree of interest in the work of CND. A massive thanks to those CND Officers who filled the five or six broadcast slots yesterday, in particular those who went on late in the evening.
Nuclear Weapons
Increase in Number of UK’s Nuclear Missiles
Relying heavily on CND briefing, Jon Stone has a strong piece in the Independent which argues that the decision to lift the cap on the number of nuclear missiles runs contrary to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. A quote from CND General Secretary Kate Hudson takes up three paragraphs in the piece.
CND is also featured prominently in the Daily Mirror, where Chris Hughes uses Kate Hudson’s quote in the drop headline: ‘The 120-page Integrated Review of Defence was revealed today leading CND’s General Secretary Kate Hudson to ask “is Boris Johnson actually trying to start a new nuclear arms race?”’
Our statement is also quoted in the Washington Post, in the context of the view from the U.S. on Boris Johnson’s plans. The Financial Times also carries words from Kate Hudson. Dan Sabbagh from the Guardian also (re)ran an earlier quote from CND on the missile increase.
The chair of Scottish CND is quoted in the Scottish National on the plans, which also drew condemnation from Nicola Sturgeon on Twitter and the Scottish Justice Minister, Humza Yousaf, who said that ‘the UK Government’s plans to expand the stockpile of nuclear weapons are utterly unacceptable to the Scottish Government’.
The American progressive website Common Dreams also features CND’s analysis prominently, alongside that of Beatrice Fihn from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and other civil society organisations.
Change in UK’s Nuclear Posture
There is a well-considered comment piece published by the RUSI today which sets out the two significant changes in the UK’s ‘nuclear posture’, announced as part of the Integrated Review. The previous limit of the nuclear stockpile operational at any one time will be lifted and no longer made public, whilst information on how many ballistic missiles and warheads deployed on ballistic missile submarines will also now be concealed from the public. The RUSI points out that this means a ‘credible nuclear deterrence is more important to this government than its disarmament commitments’.
The Times also has a write up on potential changes in the UK’s nuclear tactics, focusing on the threat of ‘emerging technologies’ and how an attack using them could trigger use of British nuclear weapons.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament