ALL-PARTY FORUM ON GLOBAL NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND ARMS CONTROL

ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON GLOBAL NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND ARMS CONTROL

PATRONS: FABIAN HAMILTON MP, RICHARD FOORD MP, RT HON SIR JULIAN LEWIS MP, LIZ SAVILLE-ROBERTS MP, 

BARONESS SUSAN MILLER, BARONESS CHRISTINE BLOWER, BARONESS NATALIE BENNETT

Developments in UK and European Nuclear Weapons Policy

5.00pm to 6.30pm, Tuesday 20th October, Committee Room 16, House of Commons

SPEAKERS:

• Lord Kim Darroch, Member of the Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee and former UK Ambassador to the US (INVITED)

• Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Strategic Adviser to the Defence Secretary and former Deputy Director General, RUSI (INVITED)

• Professor Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance, LSE (CONFIRMED)

• Paul Ingram, Research Affiliate, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge (CONFIRMED)

The next meeting is about: Developments in UK and European Nuclear Weapons Policy

We will discuss the UK’s defence and international policy in the context of shifts in French, US and NATO nuclear doctrine; and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Key questions to be considered include:

• Recent developments in NATO and European nuclear policy / rearmament (including: France’s proposal on forward deterrence; UK-French nuclear cooperation; potential proliferation to Germany and Poland; the Russia-Ukraine war and nuclear signalling)

• Recent developments in the UK’s nuclear weapons policy (including: how the UK’s relationship with the US and Europe affects its existing and replacement nuclear weapons systems; joining NATO’s nuclear sharing mission; the proposed successor to Dreadnought)

• The benefits, costs and risks of UK nuclear possession (including: how much the UK spends on NW as a proportion of the defence budget following the Defence Investment Plan; the new Astraea warhead; record-breaking SSBN patrols; options to improve Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise programmes and expenditure) 

Please note that the Forum respects that there is a plurality of views on these important matters; and is united on the need for more discussion. Summaries of our first and second meetings from earlier this year are available online.

We very much hope you will be able to join us – please RSVP to Dr Tim Street of the Secretariat, who has sent this invitation on our behalf. For your information, one week before the meeting the Secretariat will circulate an agenda, list of attendees and a short background briefing paper.