CoE contributes to Trident debate in Parliament

Ahead of today's debate in the House of Commons, the Bishop of Southwark, the Right Revd Tom Butler, has drawn MPs attention to the Church of England's concerns about plans to renew Trident. He said: yesterday "I hope MPs will bear in mind the recent debate in the Church's parliament, the General Synod. One of its conclusions was that upgrading Trident would conflict with the spirit of the UK's obligations in international law and the ethical principles underpinning them. "The Church's Mission and Public Affairs Council also made a submission to the Defence Select Committee's inquiry. I hope MPs will be find it helpful to be reminded that the Committee agreed with many of the Church's concerns." The Defence Select Committee's report quotes extensively from the Church of England's submission on the need to ensure that the creative ambiguity at the heart of deterrence does not lead to a lowering of the nuclear threshold and the need for the Government to explain further what the concept of deterrence means in today's strategic environment. Source: CoE Comms