Methodist Church Calls Members to Support Public Debate on Nuclear Issues

The Methodist Church has made a cry for the UK government to organise an open debate on the restoration of the Trident nuclear weapons system. Currently, the government plans to decommission Trident in 2024, and according to the Ministry of Defence, a decision must be made on the Trident situation before the lifetime of the current parliament runs out.

The Methodist Church is calling on all its members to write to their MP to request a full public debate on the issue of the renewal of Trident. The Church encouraged members to engage their MP’s with the question of the renewal of Britain's nuclear weapons capabilities.

British Prime Minister has already spoken on the subject, and according to the Methodist Church Blair has stated that although no final decision has yet been made on the matter, it is right to retain a nuclear deterrent.

However, in response to this, the Methodist Church has stated its belief that it is essential that the issue is properly understood by all parties and debated before the final decision is made.

The Secretary for International Affairs for the Methodist Church, Steve Hucklesby has commented, “Following the widely-perceived failure of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference in May, it is more important than ever that the UK takes a lead in the effort to eliminate nuclear weapons.”

He continued, “The Hiroshima Day commemorations on Saturday 6 August, which mark the 60th anniversary of the first use of the atomic bomb, serve as a reminder of the appalling effects of nuclear weapons. We have the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the world. At a time when the UK is apparently unable to afford to meet our promise on spending on international development of 0.7% of GDP until 2013, it is only right that we have a full and open debate on a replacement of Trident that would cost at least £10 billion.”

The Co-ordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice for the Methodist Church, Anthea Cox said, “Part of the debate we want is to ask whether Britain's national security depends on a weapons system that can only be used to inflict widespread devastation on another nation-state. The threats we increasingly face are not deterred by our nuclear weapons because they come from groups, individuals or ideologies, rather than nations.”

Nine years ago, in 1996, the Methodist Church expressed that “as more and more countries achieve nuclear capability, major disarmament measures are urgently needed to avoid global proliferation.”

The Methodist Church called for “a genuine willingness to forego Britain's own nuclear capability (whether unilaterally or multilaterally) in order to stop nuclear proliferation.”