FRIDAY, September 21 marked the 37th United Nations International Day of Peace. Unfortunately, it also coincided with the second anniversary of the UK Government's refusal to engage with the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Treaty was the culmination of a very significant multinational peace initiative that saw 122 nations adopt the Treaty in July 2017 and the award of the Nobel Peace prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), including our own Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in November 2017.

The Treaty has already been ratified by 60 countries and it is only a matter of time before it is brought into International Law. The small number of nuclear weapons states, including the UK, will not be able to ignore this Treaty for ever, and the UK Government should not be allowed to shame us by refusing to engage with it.

CND is continuing to petition the Government to sign the Treaty and urges all citizens to sign our petition which is readily available online and which will be available as a hard copy in Highgate, Kendal on Saturday, October 27.

Philip Gilligan

South Lakeland Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Sandside