Nuclear Weapons Stockpiling (Case Ref: ZS8461)

Dear ,

Thank you for writing to me about the important issue of nuclear weapons stockpiling. 

Polling shows that the overwhelming majority of the British public agree that we should ban nuclear weapons. In my opinion, we must firmly oppose the rhetoric of military capabilities and increasing nuclear warheads. A peaceful and just world is one where we collectively fund peacekeeping, not war. It is one where we transform jobs, industries, and political outlooks away from war, devastation, poverty and the proliferation of arms.

Coventry knows this all too well – from the horrors of war and destruction and the rubble of the Second World War, the city rebuilt with a commitment to peace and reconciliation at its heart. Since then, it has been a leading voice in calling for an end to violent conflict.

On 22 January 2021, echoing calls from the Lord Bishop of Coventry, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary to mark the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into force. A historic international treaty supported by 122 countries; it has ruled that nuclear weapons are illegal. I urged the Foreign Secretary to sign it.

I have long advocated an approach that redirects military funding towards the very real crises that are upon us – climate change, pandemics, inequality, and domestic priorities such as education and public services. You need only look to the contemporary wars that the UK is currently involved in to realise that the government, unfortunately, is committed to doing the opposite.
 
Yours sincerely,



Zarah Sultana MP (she/her)
Member of Parliament for Coventry South