More than 50 Nobel Laureates have launched the Peace Dividend campaign calling for a reduction in international military spending of 2% per year over the next 5 years. Half of this money would be ring-fenced for pandemic control, climate change mitigation and the alleviation of extreme poverty. While many would wish to see a more …
On 14 September the British Government-backed arms fair Defence and Security Equipment International was launched in London. A biennial defence and security trade exhibition that in 2019 welcomed 1,700 exhibitors from 58 countries, it has been the source of much criticism arising from concerns that a British-backed arm trade helps fuel human rights abuses worldwide. Despite such ethical concerns, …
26 April 2021. UK campaigning organisations are urging the government to rethink its military spending decisions in the light of the pandemic and the climate emergency. Figures released today by the world-renowned Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that global military spending in 2020 increased by 2.6% to $1981 billion and the UK’s military …
This briefing note was prepared by Dr Stuart Parkinson, Executive Director of Scientists for Global Responsibility. In November 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a very large increase in UK military spending. Total additional spending is approx. £24bn over four years, i.e. an average of £6bn per year (see table and graphs in appendices). The …
