{"id":1660,"date":"2021-01-20T16:59:53","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T16:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demilitarize.org.uk\/staging\/1381\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2021-03-12T21:36:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T21:36:42","slug":"challenging-uk-spending-on-illegal-nuclear-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demilitarize.org.uk\/staging\/1381\/challenging-uk-spending-on-illegal-nuclear-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenging UK spending on illegal nuclear weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The United Kingdom is one of only eight countries in the world with nuclear weapons. UK annual spending on such weapons is \u00a37.2bn<\/a>, the third highest in the world after the US ($35.4bn) and China ($10.4bn). This staggering figure is also increasing due to the decision in 2016 to replace the UK’s current Trident missile system, with new submarines and missiles capable of delivering US nuclear warheads (which the UK leases). The new system is scheduled to be fully delivered by 2032 and operational at least until the 2060s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this particularly problematic is that the majority of nation states are opposed to the existence of nuclear weapons and have been actively organising for their abolition. This Friday the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons<\/a> enters into force, making the stockpiling, testing and use of nuclear weapons illegal under international law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will be using the passing of the treaty to highlight the opportunity cost of increased spending on weapons of mass destruction, particularly during a time of pandemic and economic turmoil. To bring our message to a wider audience, we’re coordinating with ICAN<\/a> partners in the UK to create a Twitterstorm<\/a> (an attempt to get a topic trending, so it reaches more people outside our usual networks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n