This conference couldn’t come at a more important time. As the war in Ukraine has caused some to argue for a no-fly zone implemented by NATO, we once again face the possibility of a conflict between two nuclear-armed powers
Labour CND
By the Labour CND team
This Sunday, activists, trade unionists, academics and MPs will gather to debate the way forward for a Labour foreign and energy policy for peace, people and planet.
Labour CND’s annual conference – entitled ‘Stop the drift to nuclear war! For a Labour foreign policy for peace’ – will feature plenary addresses from Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Burgon, alongside key discussions on the nuclear question, from how we prevent the drift to nuclear war in Ukraine and how we oppose the new AUKUS nuclear deal, to what are the real clean alternatives to both fossil fuels and nuclear power.
The conference couldn’t come at a more important time. As the war in Ukraine has caused some to argue for a no-fly zone implemented by NATO, we once again face the possibility of a conflict between two nuclear-armed powers. The prospect has underlined the urgent need for a policy for peace and nuclear disarmament.
But the Government has committed to the opposite, with bellicose rhetoric, the largest increase in military spending since the end of the Cold War, and a commitment to increase the UK’s nuclear arsenal.
The nuclear build-up comes at the same time as the UK has entered into a new treaty to deploy nuclear submarines in the Indo-Pacific region with the US and Australia (the AUKUS deal). Both the growth of the nuclear weapons stockpile and AUKUS defy the UK’s international legal obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; and both ramp up the new “Cold War” with China, making the world less safe and secure, and the prospect of nuclear war more likely.
The first session of the day will offer perspectives on how we oppose the Tory military build-up, stop the drift to nuclear war in Ukraine and the new Cold War with China, and argue for spending on public services and healthcare, not militarism, nuclear weapons, and war.
While the increase in global tensions have raised the prospect of nuclear-armed conflict, the soaring gas and oil prices they have engendered have plunged the world into a fossil fuel and cost of living crisis. Concepts such as energy security, the transition to renewables, and the UK’s future energy mix are high on the agenda.
Despite the prohibitive cost, potentially disastrous environmental consequences of nuclear waste storage, and the recent disaster in Fukushima and – more recently – the terrifying prospect of bombs being dropped on nuclear power plants as part of the conflict in Ukraine, Government policy-makers seem intent on including nuclear power in the future energy mix.
In our second session of the day, we’ll discuss how we meet our emission targets under the Paris Agreement with a real transition to clean green energy, not nuclear – investing in tidal, on- and offshore wind, green hydrogen, and solar to boost our economy and create the green jobs of the future.
Everywhere, the nuclear issue is dominating the headlines and posing profound questions for our foreign policy and the future of our planet. Make sure you join the discussion at Labour CND’s annual conference to organise for a labour policy for peace and nuclear disarmament.
- Register for the conference here.
- Follow Labour CND on Twitter and Facebook.
- Sign up to Labour CND’s mailing list here.
