- At a time of heightened nuclear dangers, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has uncovered shocking evidence that US military bases across Britain are exempt from UK emergency radiation regulations.
- This means that bases like RAF Lakenheath, which is being prepared to host deadly new US nuclear weapons, is under no legal obligation to have emergency radiation plans in case of nuclear accidents.
- A declassified exemption order shows that the government is putting so-called ‘national security’ before people’s safety.
- CND is calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce in Parliament that no US nuclear weapons will be welcomed in Britain and that the exemption on adhering to legally required safety standards is revoked.
A letter from CND’s lawyers Leigh Day has forced the Ministry of Defence to declassify a significant nationwide exemption certificate, issued in March 2021 by former Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, on the grounds of ‘national security’.
The certificate exempts Visiting Forces – primarily US military personnel – engaged in work with ionising radiations, from any legal enforcement of safety standards, using powers under Regulation 40 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Regulation 25 of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulation 2019. This means they are not legally bound to have in place plans and measures for emergency situations involving radioactive materials and nuclear weapons.
This is particularly dangerous given US preparations at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk for a new nuclear weapons mission. However, the exemption not only covers RAF Lakenheath but all US military bases across Britain.
There are at least 10,000 US Department of Defence personnel stationed at 13 RAF bases. Nuclear material for Britain’s own nuclear weapons programme is regularly transported through RAF Brize Norton and RAF Fairford regularly hosts the US B2 nuclear-capable stealth bomber.
The government’s exemption means that local councils will never be told about the presence of nuclear weapons at these bases – and are therefore not obliged to produce their own emergency plans for a radiological accident. This puts the British population at even greater risk.
CND is calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce in Parliament that no US nuclear weapons will be welcomed in Britain and that the exemption on adhering to legally required safety standards is revoked. The majority of the British public don’t want US nuclear weapons in this country.
CND is upping pressure on the government, supporting two weeks of protest actions from Monday 14 April, culminating in a blockade of the base on Saturday 26 April. The peace camp and actions are organised by the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace, of which CND is a member.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons in the world. They put us all at risk every day. Yet the government is more concerned about its special relationship with the US than people’s safety.
“This declassified document shows that not only are US forces exempt from British nuclear safety laws at RAF Lakenheath, they are exempt at US bases right across Britain. This means that local authorities will never be told about any nuclear weapons present in their area. And will be under no legal obligation to produce emergency radiation plans.
“The government’s exemption order smacks of a cover-up for a new generation of deadly US nuclear bombs being deployed in Britain. The government doesn’t want people to know what’s going on. That’s because a majority of the population don’t want US nuclear bombs here. The government has to put a stop to these deadly nuclear risks. That means PM Keir Starmer should announce publicly that US nuclear weapons will not be stationed here.
“It’s shocking the lengths that successive British governments have gone to, to prevent transparency and oversight of nuclear weapons. ‘National security’ is the constant excuse given to avoid public scrutiny of the dangers the population face all the time because of nuclear weapons. Whether they are from the dangers of accidents involving nuclear submarines based in Scotland, Barrow or Plymouth. Or whether it is new US nuclear bombs being deployed at RAF Lakenheath. Far from keeping people safe, all these nuclear weapons make Britain a target.
“The greatest safety precaution for the British population is to end the so-called ‘special relationship’ with the US, scrap its nuclear weapons and instead spend the hundreds of billions on rebuilding our crumbling public services and expanding the green energy sector. This would create hundreds of thousands of essential jobs, cut energy bills and create a genuinely sustainable future for all.”
Leigh Day solicitor Ricardo Gama said:
“In usual circumstances, where nuclear material is going to be stored on a site, the law requires the national government, the operator of the site and the local council to put in place plans to protect against the risk of a nuclear accident. The documents which the MoD has sent to us show that the government has exempted itself and any visiting armed forces from having to comply with those legal obligations.
“Separately, the county council has said that it also won’t make plans to deal with a nuclear accident because it hasn’t been notified by the MoD or USAF that nuclear weapons are present at RAF Lakenheath. But that’s a catch-22 answer, because the MoD and USAF are exempt from having to make any notification to the council by the exemption certificate.
“It appears to CND that the government’s actions show that it believes that national security concerns justify a complete derogation from the fundamental principle no one including the government itself is above the law.”
ENDS