A goal that most of the world shares, according to Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament UK(CND), is a world free of weapons of mass destruction. However, the campaign for nuclear weapon disarmament has had little traction and public attention in the UK. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW) will finally come into force January 22nd after the 50th country sanctioned  the agreement on the 25th of October.

“Many people are not yet aware of the treaty but we aim to change that, this is a really positive development that can have a big impact for future generations. Having the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over you is not a good thing!” Kate Hudson from CND said. 

After a General Assembly of the United Nations in 2017 the TPNW was introduced, which is a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons and other related activity. This includes stockpiling, testing, production and many more. This is the first time under International law that nuclear weapons have been declared illegal, after previously not. 

CND has launched a campaign supporting the treaty and is calling for the UK to sign and ratify the TPNW. Kate Hudson outlined that the campaign is about raising awareness in society about the treaty and the Government’s refusal to sign.

“We need to build up a critical level of support – so it’s up to us to work to bring Britain onboard. While our Government says it will never sign, in the meantime there are practical steps we can take to advance the Treaty,” Kate Hudson explains.  

Kate Hudson explains that the main challenge currently is to prevent the nuclear armed states from sabotaging the treaty and stopping other countries from signing and sanctioning it. 

The UK government has said it wouldn’t sign and strongly opposes the treaty. This is at odds with its obligation as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it ratified in 1970, committing to disarm its nuclear weapons. 

Kate Hudson said: “Successive governments have often said they are committed to a world without nuclear weapons and it would certainly save an enormous amount of money that the UK can afford. What about spending the money on making the NHS equipped for pandemics, or focusing on beating cyber warfare, for example?”

Over half of the globe has already bid themselves to be nuclear weapon free zones and according to Kate Hudson the reason for this is that the countries know that if a nuclear war occurs it will still affect them. “Having nuclear weapons makes us a target and is a massive waste of money, so much better to get rid of them. After all, most countries don’t have them and manage fine without.”