Labour's Starmer: I'll push the nuclear button!

On Monday, Keir Starmer confirmed he would be prepared to press the nuclear button, during a speech where he announced that Labour in government will maintain current government policy on replacing Trident with a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines, along with “all the needed upgrades.”

Starmer added that Labour would also commit to spending 2.5 percent of GDP on Britain's military, as soon as economically possible. The Tories have already said they would do this by 2030, which would see the defence budget rise to £87 billion annually.

But where's the bold new vision for security that we so desperately need? Responding to the announcement, CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:

“This policy just mirrors that of the existing government – more war, more military spending and more nuclear weapons. Patently obviously this approach is not bringing peace and prosperity in its wake. On the contrary. Billions are being wasted that should be rebuilding our decaying public services and improving people’s lives. It’s time for a change of policy. The old one has failed – we need to look to the future with a vision to work for peace internationally, improve people’s lives and make us genuinely secure, not an impoverished nuclear target.”

You can read CND's full response to the Labour announcement here.

CND General Election 2024

CND General Election Campaign 2024: CND needs your help to contact all the parliamentary candidates in your constituency, and find out what their views are: on nuclear weapons, on disarmament, on calls for ceasefire, and other crucial peace and nuclear issues. Then we want you to report them back to us. We will compile the responses and publish them: to help everyone make their best election choice.

On our dedicated general election page, you can find a model letter including a questionnaire for you to send to your candidates, as well as a campaign guide, links to opinion polling on key issues, and party positions on nuclear weapons.

Read CND's Election Blog

CND's Election Blog: Throughout the course of the election campaign, we will be publishing a series of guest blogs to discuss crucial peace and disarmament issues. In our first post, CND Vice-Chair Carol Turner assesses the grotesque continuation of British arms exports to Israel. Please read and share widely.