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Select committee: International Relations and Defence Committee

Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Government Response

Published 4 July 2019

International Relations and Defence Committee Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear disarmament inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 7th Report - Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

This is the government's response, published 4 July 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says the Non-Proliferation Treaty "continues to be, a significant success" and that it is committed to "gradual multilateral disarmament" "as the security situation allows", while it does not feel further unilateral disarmament would be appropriate.

  • On Russia, the government "agrees NATO should continue to engage in dialogue with Russia, when it is appropriate and in our interests to do so", but says dialogue with it is not "business as usual" until there is a "clear, constructive change in Russia's actions".
  • It does not agree with moving Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty negotiations outside the Conference on Disarmament, because "consensus rule offers protection" to states' national security interests.
  • On the review of the nuclear deterrent's resilience to cyber and other threats, it says it has "robust measures in place" but that it "is not Government policy to comment on specific security measures".
  • On the 2020 Review Conference, it "will consider UK representation nearer the time" at a high-level segment, and "intends to engage fully" with the US disarmament initiative, sending two senior officials to its first meeting in Washington in July 2019.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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