70 years since the first UK nuclear tests
Posted: 5th October 2022
Today, 3rd October 2022, marks 70 years since the first UK nuclear tests.
In a press release by the government, Minister of Veterans Affairs James Heappey has said:
Veterans of Britain’s nuclear testing programme have “played a crucial role in keeping Britain and our NATO Allies safe and secure”. His comments come 70 years to the day since Britain first tested an atomic weapon. The veterans who participated in the United Kingdom’s nuclear test programme, known as Op Hurricane, made the UK the third nuclear power and contributed to achieving the ultimate guarantee of UK sovereignty, and continues to keep us safe today.
Is this really the case? Do we actually feel safer with nuclear weapons? The former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West, seems to think so and has hailed them as the ultimate safeguard for our national security from states with nuclear weapons.
Further comments released today by the BBC have suggested that nuclear test veterans ‘need Hillsborough-level apology’, which The Ministry of Defence are unlikely to provide having previously said there was “no valid evidence” linking the nuclear tests to ill health.
With rising tensions of nuclear warfare, whether strategic or tactical, the denial of the state to condemn the use of these weapons and use this day as an opportunity to be thankful for their presence is very worrying.