- Political leaders, MPs, Trade Union leaders and faith communities urge Prime Minister to reverse decision to purchase US nuclear-capable fighter jets
- Purchase breaches international law, heightens nuclear risks and ties Britain closer to the Trump administration
- Call comes as report show chaos and spiralling costs of fighter jet programme
On Monday 17 November, MPs, trade unionists and civil society figures will be handing in a letter to Downing Street calling on the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to rethink his decision to purchase 12 nuclear-capable F-35A jets, to be stationed at RAF Marham. The jets have been designed to launch deadly US nuclear bombs, now very likely deployed across Europe and in Britain.
This comes amidst increasing nuclear threats and breaches of international disarmament treaties. In the letter, signatories argue, “[f]ar from protecting the British population, your decision to buy US nuclear capable fighter jets, that can launch US B61-12 nuclear bombs, ties Britain even closer to the dangerous leadership of US President Donald Trump” and “increases the risk of such weapons being used in war.”
It goes on to state, “[w]e see this nuclear expansion as part of the war drive which is draining public funds away from essential public services and making the population poorer.”
The letter hand-in follows a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that has exposed the chaos and spiralling costs already associated with government’s decision to buy nuclear-capable fighter jets from the Trump administration. The Committee’s report reveals that the Ministry of Defence had little understanding of the technical and financial implications of Britain joining NATO’s nuclear mission when Starmer announced the purchase at the NATO summit in June. PAC Chair described the MoD’s spending forecasts as “unrealistic.” The National Audit Office now calculates the full programme of 138 fighter jets could cost at least £71 billion, with even more – as yet unknown – costs involved in joining NATO’s nuclear missions.
The letter states, “[g]iven the grave consequences of this expansion, including Britain’s breach of international law, it is also deeply concerning that no opportunity was given for parliament to debate or vote on this decision before it was announced.”
The letter concludes by urging that “[i]nstead of pouring hundreds of billions into lethal weapons, action needs to be focused on tackling the underlying causes threatening our human security. This means reversing the devastating poverty, deprivation and crumbling public services that mark our communities, investing in sustainable homes, rebuilding our health and education systems, and funding a just transition through green jobs, skills and infrastructure.”
Photo Opportunity:
- 10.30am, Downing Street
- Letter hand-in with supporters, including stunt with ‘Keir Starmer’ with his US B61-12 nuclear bombs.
Signatories include:
Zack Polanski, Green Party of England and Wales Leader; Maxine Peake; Katharine Hamnett; Victoria Brittain; MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Richard Burgon, Apsana Begum, Zarah Sultana, Brian Leishman, Iqbal Mohamed, Ayoub Khan, Shokat Adam, Ellie Chowns, Sian Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Ben Lake; Baroness Jennie Jones and Natalie Bennett; Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary; Fran Heathcote, PCS General Secretary; Eddie Dempsey, RMT General Secretary; Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary; Dave Ward, CWU General Secretary; Steve Wright, FBU General Secretary; Sarah Kilpatrick, NEU President; Maryam Eslamdoust, TSSA General Secretary; Raghad Altikriti, Chair, Muslim Association of Britain; Kathryn Lydon, Chair, Pax Christi England and Wales; Paul Parker, Quakers in Britain; Paula Peters, Disability Rights Activist; Sophie Bolt, General Secretary, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Lindsey German, Convenor, Stop the War Coalition; Kirsten Bayes, Campaign Against the Arms Trade; Campaign Against Climate Change; Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute for Disarmament; Okopi Ajonye, Nuclear Information Service; Richard Reeve, Rethinking Security; Tim Street, British Pugwash; Sarah Lasoye, MEDACT; Cllr Lawrence O’Neill, Nuclear Free Local Authorities; Lakenheath Alliance for Peace; Lynn Jamieson, Chair, Scottish CND; Mabon Ap Gwynfor MS, Chair, CND Cymru; Tim Devereux, Movement for the Abolition of War.
Independent MP and Chair of Parliamentary CND Jeremy Corbyn said:
“At a time of growing international tensions, Britain should be leading efforts to de-escalate conflict, not fuelling an arms race. Expanding its nuclear arsenal only makes the world more dangerous. We need a foreign policy rooted in peace, diplomacy, and cooperation — one that addresses the causes of war, not its symptoms.”
Labour MP and Parliamentary CND Vice-Chair Bell Ribeiro-Addy said:
“It’s deeply worrying that such a major decision — one that expands Britain’s nuclear capability and binds us further to US military policy — has been taken without any parliamentary scrutiny or public debate. The British people deserve transparency on matters that carry such enormous moral, legal, and security implications.”
Ellie Chowns, MP and Green Party Spokesperson for Defence, said:
“When millions are struggling with the cost of living and our public services are under immense pressure, it is indefensible to spend billions on new nuclear-capable fighter jets. True security comes from investing in climate action, green jobs, and resilient communities — not in weapons that threaten both people and the planet.”
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“Given how fast the nuclear threats are rising, it is no surprise that opposition to nuclear weapons – and their obscene costs – is growing. Expanding Britain’s nuclear weapons won’t make us safer. On the contrary, it will put us at much greater risk of these weapons being used. With the economy in turmoil and people getting poorer, the government is faced with a clear solution to this problem: end the war drive and invest in improving people’s lives, not destroying them. ”
Convenor of Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German said:
“Buying nuclear-capable F-35s to please Donald Trump and his belligerent foreign policy puts everyone in Britain at risk of being on the frontline of a nuclear war.”
Chief Executive of Pax Christi England and Wales Andrew Jackson said:
“At a time when we’re seeing global suffering due to war and climate breakdown, we’re calling on the government to put peace, not militarism, at the heart of its defence and foreign policymaking.”
Public Affairs and Media Manager at Quakers in Britain Grace Da Costa said:
“Investing in more nuclear weapons will not help the poorest and most vulnerable in our society and will only contribute to further climate breakdown and conflict.”