Contents
1. Summary: All Party Parliamentary Forum on Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Arms Control
2. Video of webinar: ‘The future of the UK’s nuclear weapons: is there an alternative to US dependence?’
3. Review: 9th Annual Student and Young Pugwash Conference
4. Recent articles and publications of note
5. Annual General Meeting
6. Annual membership
1. Summary: All Party Parliamentary Forum on Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, 24 March
The inaugural meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Forum on Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, which British Pugwash provides the Secretariat for—with the Nuclear Education Trust— took place on 24 March at the House of Commons. The officers of the forum include members of the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Conservative Parties.
The New Start Treaty–the last remaining bilateral agreement limiting US and Russian nuclear arms–expired in February. This follows the collapse of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Meanwhile, the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT RevCon) will take place from 27 April to 22 May at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Given this context, the meeting focused on what we should expect from the RevCon and what should the UK’s priorities be going into it? For example, what could the UK do to support the aims of the NPT and reinforce the nuclear taboo? The meeting also considered developments in the broader international scene and the key role of diplomacy.
The meeting was addressed by two expert speakers: Dr Alice Spilman (BASIC) and Dr Hassan Elbahtimy (King’s College London).
You can read a summary of the meeting here.
2. Video of webinar: ‘The future of the UK’s nuclear weapons: is there an alternative to US dependence?’, 5 March
The speakers at this webinar, which you can watch here, were Paul Ingram (CSER) and David Cullen (BASIC). Paul and David provided an update on the UK’s nuclear weapons system, and the replacement programme, with a focus on US technological dependence. They reviewed Euro-Atlantic relations and how recent political developments could affect the UK’s nuclear future.
In addition, they considered whether it would be realistic for the UK to develop a truly independent nuclear weapons system, or whether the fundamental choice is between continuing dependence on the US and renouncing nuclear weapons.
You can watch videos of all our recent webinars and other events on our YouTube channel.
3. Review of the 9th Annual Student and Young Pugwash Conference, 20 March
The conference was held on 20 March at London Metropolitan University. The theme for the event was ‘How can we control and eliminate weapons of mass destruction over the next decade?’ The aim of the event was to encourage critical discussion of the legal, political and technical questions associated with nuclear weapons and other WMD, with a focus on ethical science.
The keynote speakers were Jane Kinninmont, CEO at the United Nations Association–UK and Professor Lijun Shang, Professor of Biomedical Science at London Metropolitan University.
A summary of all the information and media from the conference, including: photos, videos, slides and presenter contact details, is available here.
4. Recent articles and publications of note
April
Arms Control Association, France and Germany Establish High-Ranking Nuclear Steering Group
Arms Control Association, Future of Nonproliferation Treaty on the Line at the 11th Review Conference
Zoe Williams, The Guardian, ‘We’d all be in the destruction zone!’ Can anything stop today’s nuclear free-for-all?
March
Nina Larson, The Japan Times, States deploying more nuclear weapons, monitor warns
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Statement by the Pugwash Leadership on the U.S. and Israeli Military Attack on Iran
Sylvie Corbet, AP News, France and European allies unite for nuclear deterrence strategy
Reuters, Poland seeks as much autonomy as possible in terms of nuclear arms, Tusk says
Arms Control Association, Did Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Programs Pose an Imminent Threat? No.
February
Reuters, Kremlin says neither China nor Russia have carried out secret nuclear tests
Natia Ninoshvili, Nuclear Abolition Day, Extending the Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal to 2026: Call for additional endorsements
Vladimir Isachenkov, AP News, Russia says it will stick to New START’s nuclear arms limits as long as the US does
Reuters, Russia won’t be provoked into arms race after nuclear treaty expires, Ryabkov says
Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, US accuses China of secret nuclear test, calls for new arms control treaty including Russia
January
Jonas Olsson, Breaking Defense, Sweden weighs Franco-British nuclear weapons cooperation
Harrison Berger, The American Conservative, How the War Industry Captured U.S. Foreign Policy
Xiaodon Liang and Naomi Satoh, Arms Control Association, Europe Seeks Medium-Range Missile Response
December
Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, Mackenzie Knight-Boyle, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Nuclear Notebook: The changing nuclear landscape in Europe
Paul McLeary, Politico, Trump’s new ‘Trump-Class’ battleship will carry nuclear weapons
Tim Kelly and John Geddie, Reuters, Japan reaffirms no-nukes pledge after official floats weapons idea
Kyodo News, Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons, prime minister’s office source says
Mohamed ElBaradei, Project Syndicate, A New Age of Nuclear Proliferation?
Video: University of Manchester, ‘Technology & Ethics in Humanitarian Action’
This webinar, hosted by the Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute, provided a focused update on crisis-detection technologies and the ethical standards guiding data use in humanitarian settings.
Speakers included: Dr. Corinne Bara, Senior Lecturer, Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich – on ‘Early Detection of Humanitarian Crises Using Satellite Night-Time Light Data’ and Dr. Kristoffer Lidén, Research Director, Dimensions of Security Department, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) on ‘Ethics and the Governance of Digital Data in Humanitarian Action.’
5. Annual General Meeting
The British Pugwash AGM will take place in mid-June. We will notify all members of the exact date as soon as possible. If you would like to stand for election to our Executive Committee, please email Tim Street for details: office@britishpugwash.org
6. Annual membership
We ask that members of British Pugwash contribute £25 a year to the organisation’s running costs. May we suggest that you check that your subscription is up to date. If you need to make a payment, our bank details are here. Membership for students and people under 35 is free.