What is Jeremy Corbyn’s nuclear weapons policy?
Labour leader has been quizzed again on future of Trident
Jeremy Corbyn’s position on nuclear weapons is back in the headlines after he refused to rule out scrapping Trident as part of a post-election deal with the Scottish National Party.
Asked on The Andrew Marr Show whether he would scrap Trident, the Labour leader said: “I think the SNP would actually agree with me… that the priority has to be giving realism to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, giving realism to the six-party talks in Korea, giving realism to the whole question of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”
Pressed further on the matter, he replied: “Obviously if you went into non-proliferation treaty discussions then clearly every country’s nuclear weapons go into that equation.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Corbyn is a longstanding supporter of nuclear disarmament. “Back in the day – pre-leadership – Corbyn was a high-profile opponent of the nuclear issue on both environmental and proliferation grounds,” says The Conversation.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in 2015, he said: “I am opposed to the use of nuclear weapons. I am opposed to the holding of nuclear weapons. I want to see a nuclear-free world. I believe it is possible.”
He added that that with the Cold War over, it is harder to justify keeping nuclear weapons. “There are five declared nuclear weapon states in the world. There are three others that have nuclear weapons. That is eight countries out of 192.
“187 countries don’t feel the need to have a nuclear weapon to protect their security, why should those five need it themselves?”
In a debate in 2016 over the future of Trident, he said: “I do not believe the threat of mass murder is a legitimate way to deal with international relations.”
Some 140 Labour MPs supported Trident renewal in that vote, while Corbyn, shadow defence secretary Nia Griffiths and 45 other Labour MPs voted against it.
Asked during the 2017 general election campaign whether he would consider using a nuclear weapon if the country were under threat of a nuclear strike, he replied: “I would do everything I can to ensure that any threat is dealt with earlier on, by negotiations and by talks. The idea of anyone ever using a nuclear weapon anywhere in the world is utterly appalling and terrible.”
However, last week Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, suggested that a Corbyn government might make a collective decision on whether to deploy nuclear weapons.
Speaking to Channel 4 last week, a party spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn will do whatever is necessary to keep our country safe.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Where is the safest place in a nuclear attack?
In Depth From safest countries to the most secure parts of buildings, these are the spots that offer the most protection
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Iran at the nuclear crossroads
The Explainer Officials 'openly threatening' to build nuclear bomb, as watchdog finds large increase in enriched uranium stockpile
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Nuclear near-misses
The Explainer From technical glitches to fateful split-second decisions, the world has come to the brink of nuclear war more times than you might think
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran's attack on Israel backfire?
Today's Big Question The unprecedented targeting of Israel could be a 'godsend' for Netanyahu as the limits of Tehran's military power are exposed
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Labour and nuclear weapons: a turbulent ideological history
The Explainer From the 1940s to Keir Starmer, the party leadership has zigzagged in and out of love with the bomb
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How likely is an accidental nuclear incident?
The Explainer Artificial intelligence, secret enemy tests or false alarms could trigger inadvertent launch or detonation
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi air strikes: why wasn't Parliament consulted?
Today's Big Question It is convention for prime ministers to put military action to a vote but it's not a constitutional requirement
By The Week UK Published
-
What will Russia look like after Putin?
Today's Big Question There are no guarantees of stability for the West if or when the president departs
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published