Talks not Bombs
Posted: 19th January 2022
The historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) came into force almost exactly one year ago, on 22 January 2021.
This year, in just two months, the countries that have ratified the nuclear ban will meet officially for the first time, in Vienna on 22–24 March. This is a crucial meeting as they discuss the next steps for the ban.
But the UK is refusing to attend the meeting even as an observer, unlike other members of the nuclear-armed NATO alliance such as Germany and Norway.
The government says it wants a world free of nuclear weapons — getting involved with the TPNW is the way to do that, and is supported by a majority of people in Britain.
So we’re asking you to take action to press the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to attend the Vienna conference.
Our new Talks not Bombs campaign page is full of resources to help you in your campaigning, including a digital toolkit which sets out the essential information about the TPNW conference and the actions we’re asking supporters to take.
It’s vital that we get the message out about this meeting and why it is so important for the UK to be involved in taking real steps towards nuclear disarmament. We’ve prepared a model letter as a starting point you can use to write to your local paper and alert your community to why it will be a huge missed opportunity if the government refuses to go to Vienna.
We also have a Talks not Bombs poster (pictured above) for you to download and display, a fact sheet with more information, as well as an email tool to help lobby the Foreign Secretary.
And on Wednesday 9 February at 6.30pm we’ll also be holding an online meeting to discuss the campaign. Click here for more information and to register.
Don’t forget as well our meeting at 3pm this Friday, 21 January, to launch Dr Rebecca Johnson’s new report about the implications of the TPNW for Britain, with a host of expert guests. See our website for more details and to register.