Westminster Diary

Parliamentary CND chair Caroline Lucas MP hosted a public event in parliament with three Fukushima mothers who have extensively campaigned on behalf of the victims of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster:

Akiko Morimatsu: Fukushima mother who evacuated to Osaka with her two young children

Asami Yokota: Fukushima mother who remained in Fukushima but evacuated her son to Hokkaido

Ms Sonoda: Fukushima mother who evacuated with her child and husband.

Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary asks  the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, “what diplomatic steps he is taking to prevent Iran from producing nuclear-armed warheads that can be carried by that country’s submarine-based cruise missiles.”

Alistair Burt, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs responded, “​The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), agreed in July 2015, verifiably ensures that Iran is not able to produce a nuclear weapon, and as such is the best means of neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Iran is abiding by its commitments under the deal, as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency in each of its reports, the most recent of which was produced on 22 February. We are working closely with our partners to maintain the JCPoA, including through ensuring Iran continues to meet its nuclear commitments in full.”

Jo Swinson, Kate Green, John Grogan, Jamie Stone, Ruth Cadbury and Daniel Zeichner have recently signed Early Day Motion 1744, on US withdrawal from the INF. This brings the total signatories to 49 from Labour, Green, Plaid Cymru, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and Democratic Unionist Party.

See if your MP has signed the EDM

Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary asks  the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, “what diplomatic steps he plans to take to support the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula after the recent US-North Korean talks in Hanoi.”

Mark Field, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs responded “The Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with Secretary of State Pompeo on how to resolve the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, most recently on 5 March. We welcome the US commitment to continue talks following the recent summit in Hanoi. We will continue to work closely with the US and our other international partners and use a wide range of diplomatic tools, including through our Embassy in Pyongyang, in an effort to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation.”

 

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer spoke in a motion marking International Women’s Day in the House of Lords on the links between women and peace.

“Nuclear weapons, including our own Trident system, specifically target civilians; they target cities and women and children as a so-called deterrent. I will use my time today to ask the Minister whether there is a correlation between the lack of women involved and the fact that not only have nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament talks largely stalled, but we are now likely to be heading into a new nuclear arms race. That truly terrifying prospect was highlighted by the noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, when he talked of the evidence that the International Relations Committee had heard that,

“we were on the verge of a terrifying new arms race and the possible spread of tactical nuclear weapons, and that the limits on nuclear warfare that the world has hung on to since Hiroshima are now slipping away and could leave our cities in smoking ruins”.—[Official Report, 27/2/19; col. 253.]

Your Lordships will remember that back in 2000 the UN passed Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, to encourage greater female representation on disarmament bodies. That has not happened to the degree that was hoped for then. One of the women to see this first hand is the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Her Excellency Ms Izumi Nakamitsu. As frequently the only woman at high-level talks, she says: “More perspectives could help to find new approaches to break stalemate”.

Full text available here.

Full text available here. 

Nicholas Soames MP asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, “what the weaponry owned by Russia is that has resulted in that country being in violation of its INF Treaty obligations; and what the location is of that weaponry.”

Alan Duncan, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs responded “On 4 December 2018, NATO Allies declared that Russia has developed and fielded the 9M729 missile system, violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and posing significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security. We fully support the assessment that Russia’s covert testing, production and fielding of this ground-launched cruise missile system is a material breach of the INF Treaty.”

Jim Cunningham MP asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, “what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the summit in Vietnam between the US President and the Supreme Leader of North Korea.”

Mark Field, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs responded, “The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses with US Secretary of State Pompeo how to resolve the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. We hope that the talks in Vietnam between President Trumpand Kim Jong Un will prove a basis for progress. We will continue to work closely with the US and our partners to support negotiations and to implement sanctions in full until North Korea’s complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.”

On Wednesday 6th March  2019 Rt Hon Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gave evidence to the select committee on International relations.