Foreign and Commonwealth Office and experts to give evidence to Lords nuclear inquiry
The House of Lords International Relations Committee will hear from a Foreign and Commonwealth Office official, and experts from the European Leadership Network and the British American Security Information Council as part of its inquiry ‘the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear disarmament', on Wednesday 19 December.
Nuclear weapons are on the international agenda in a way they have not been since the end of the Cold War with rising tensions between nuclear-armed states and the fragmenting of existing non-proliferation and arms control agreements. The Committee is examining the state of global nuclear diplomacy and the United Kingdom's role in it.
Appearing at 10:40am will be:
- Sarah Price, Acting Director for Defence and International Security, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
She is likely to be asked questions including: - How do you see the current state of global nuclear diplomacy, and to what extent has it been challenged in recent years?
- Ahead of the 2020 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) what are the Government's priorities?
- To what extent is the development of new technologies affecting the established non-proliferation and disarmament regimes?
Appearing at 11.40pm will be:
- Shatabhisha Shetty, Deputy Director, European Leadership Network
- Paul Ingram, Executive Director, British American Security Information Council
They are likely to be asked questions including:
- How effectively has the UK responded to challenges to the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, including the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal?
- How has the UK's approach to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament developed since the entry into force of the NPT, in particular in recent years?
- What recommendations would you make to the Government on how to approach these issues ahead of the 2020 Review Conference?
