Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference and EDM 1122.

Britain is widely recognised as the most pro-active of the nuclear weapon states on nuclear disarmament. We have reduced our nuclear forces by over half from the Cold War peak in the late 1970s and recently reduced the number of deployed warheads on each submarine from 48 to 40 and the number of operationally available warheads from fewer than 160 to no more than 120. The UK remains committed to reducing our overall stockpile to no more than 180 warheads by the mid-2020s.

I welcome the fact that the Government will use the second Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to engage with a variety of countries on this important issue. Ministers have said that work will be completed on how to tackle the challenges of non-proliferation and disarmament and how to allow for the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

I believe it is important to build trust and transparency between those states with nuclear weapons, as only under these conditions can nuclear armed states feel confident and satisfied to relinquish their weapons. It is very welcome that the UK Government continues to call for all states to join the NPT as non-Nuclear Weapons States.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

EDWARD LEIGH MP