Parliamentary Briefing: House of Lords Debate on ‘Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’

This parliamentary briefing was issued in advance of the Debate on the report from the International Relations Committee ‘Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’, Tuesday, 16th of July 2019. This is an opportunity to consider the ways in which the UK can reduce nuclear risks globally, and engage in meaningful multilateral disarmament processes ahead of the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Report: A History of the United Kingdom’s WE 177 Nuclear Weapons Programme

This history offers a chronological account of the WE 177 from 1959 through to the decision to provide a third variant of the design for the RAF in the 1970s, and then onto the late 1970s.

BASIC submits evidence to Defence Select Committee Inquiry into the INF Treaty

BASIC submitted evidence to the Defence Select Committee Inquiry into the INF Treaty.

Report: How much does the UK spend on nuclear weapons?

This report draws upon a mixture of publicly available data and estimates in order to outline both the current operating costs of the Trident nuclear weapon system, as well as the estimated costs of the current plans to renew the UK’s nuclear arsenal.

Report: (Dis)Continuous Deterrence: Challenges to Britain’s Nuclear Doctrine

Despite strong rhetorical support on part of the government for Continuous At-Sea Deterrence (CASD), a real risk exists that CASD could be interrupted in the early 2030s.

Report: Blowing up the Budget: The Cost Risk of Trident to UK Defence

BASIC’s new report illustrates in clear detail the cost risk of Trident renewal to the UK’s Defence budget; Dreadnought’s through life costs are likely to be between £110-114bn.

Briefing: Leading by Example: Reforming UK Nuclear Declaratory Policy

By reforming its nuclear declaratory policy, the UK has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by example on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation without negatively impacting its established nuclear deterrent posture.

Meaningful Multilateralism: A Discussion with Parliamentarians 18th July 2017

The BASIC/UNA-UK report Meaningful Multilateralism: 30 Nuclear Disarmament Proposals for the Next UK Government, was discussed in Parliament at a roundtable hosted by BASIC on Tuesday 18th June.