Now that The Nuclear Ban Treaty has been signed and opened up to countries for ratification, we need to put pressure on our UK decision-makers to enshrine it in our law.
The seminal Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was agreed by 122 countries of the United Nations on July 7th 2017. It was opened up to signatories on 20th September, and so far more than fifty states have already signed it.
The Treaty looks to make nuclear weapons illegal and provides a framework to totally ban them. It prohibits the use, development, testing, manufacture stationing and deployment, as well as the threat to use nuclear weapons. However, a nuclear armed country, like Britain can still sign the treaty by agreeing to stop all these activities and embark upon a monitored process to get rid of these weapons of mass destruction.
Parliamentarians can now lead the way by signing the pledge to work for the UK to sign this vital treaty and bring it into our law. You can find the pledge and where parliamentarians can sign it here.
To put pressure on your MP to sign the pledge, download the Pledge letter for MPs here.
Full pledge:
We, the undersigned parliamentarians,
warmly welcome the adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 7 July 2017 as a significant step towards the realization of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
We share the deep concern expressed in the preamble about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons and we recognize the consequent need to eliminate these inhumane and abhorrent weapons.
As parliamentarians, we pledge to work for the signature and ratification of this landmark treaty by our respective countries, as we consider the abolition of nuclear weapons to be a global public good of the highest order and an essential step to promote the security and well-being of all peoples.