Richard Burgon MP urges Labour ‘don’t support Johnson’s military spending hike’
Writing in the Morning Star on 17 December, Socialist Campaign Group Secretary Richard Burgon called for ‘our whole movement’ to join Labour CND’s online lobby to persuade Labour MPs to oppose Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s £16 billion military spending increase. Burgon said: ‘Labour CND has launched a campaign to make the case for real security, tackling the climate crisis, global poverty and the Covid-19 pandemic — not a Tory military spending spree. It is one our whole movement should back.’
Read Burgon’s article here
Lobby your MP here
Lobby your Labour MP
During a health pandemic, with the UK economy set to nose dive, and the majority of families struggling to make ends meet, Labour CND believes it’s a big mistake for our parliamentary front bench to support Boris Johnson’s military spending hike. Our representatives should be making the case for real security, tackling the Covid crisis, the climate emergency, and playing our part in combatting global poverty.
If your MP is a Labour MP, let them know what you think. Drop them a line right now using Labour CND’s online lobby.
And while you’re here, take a look at our model motion for your local Labour Party.
Join Labour CND’s campaign against Johnson’s military spending spree
On 19 November, in a House of Commons update on the Integrated Review, Boris Johnson’s announced a huge military spendig hike. Reaffirmed by Chancellor Richi Sunak’s autumn statement, the government is committed to an increase of £24.1 billion over 4 years — that’s £16 bn in addition to the 0.5% above-inflation increase already promised. Responding for Labour, Keir Starmer welcomed the increase. Let Labour know their support for this Tories spending spree is misguided. Here’s what you can do:
Join Jeremy Corbyn and guests on Sunday, register here to attend our webinar co-hosted by our partners from Arise, A Festival of Labour’s Left Ideas
Download our model motion for your branch or constituency Labour Party
And please contact your Labour MP via our online lobby
Wales Labour leader welcomes UN nuclear ban treaty
Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour/Llafur Cymru, has welcomed the ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He said: ‘As more nations ratify this Treaty together we create hope for a different future without nuclear weapons and without a nuclear deterrent.’
UN nuclear ban treaty comes into force in January
Now that 50 countries have ratified the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), it will come into force on 22 January 2021. Another 84 have signed, but not yet ratified the Treaty. Only those countries which ratify the TPNW are bound by the Treaty.
The UK government is responsible for signing and ratifying treaties. To the dishonour of us all, neither the May nor Johnson governments have signed the TPNW. The Tories say they never will, and Labour is silent on the Treaty.
CND has launched a campaign to put pressure on Westminster to change its mind. The Nuclear Ban Communities initiative is modelled on ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons which CND is part of. We are asking MPs, local authorities, and faith leaders to pledge their support for the UN nuclear ban treaty.
You’ll be hearing more from us in 2021…..
Labour CND statement on the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn
Labour CND stands in solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong anti-racist, peace and anti-war campaigner, as his record of fighting oppression and discrimination attests.
We reaffirm our commitment to opppose anti-semitism and all forms of racism. We believe the action taken against Jeremy undermines the unity of the Labour Party.
Labour CND opposes the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn and pledges to campaign for his reinstatement.
Cast your vote now in NEC elections
Voting in Labour’s National Executive Committee elections has begun. Use yours by noon on 12 November or lose the chance to have you say.
Grassroots Voice candidates had the most local party nominations. It’s time to turn that support into votes and elect Constituency Labour Party reps who are committed to nuclear disarmament, will defend party democracy and support progressive anti-austerity policies.
Your ballot should have arrived in your inbox by now. The email comes from labourelections@cesvotes.com and has ‘Your ballot – Labour Party elections’ in the subject line. If you haven’t had an email, check your spam folder. You can apply to have your ballot reissued. Monday 26 October is the ballot reissue day.
Labour is using STV, single transferable vote, for the first time in these elections. STV is more complicated than first-past-the-post voting system it replaces. STV means it’s really important how you order your votes – who you put first, second, third, etc.
All the organisations in the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance have agreed a region by region priority order that will maximise the chances of getting the #GV6 elected. The order of preference for each region is reproduced below. If you’re unsure about which Labour Party region you’re in, use Momentum’s helpful postcode finder.
Want to know more about how STV works, check out Single Transferable Vote Explained.
And you can read the statement of each #GV6 candidate here
Ann Henderson on Trident
Labour CND and Arise, A Festival of Labour’s Left Ideas jointly organised a Foreign Policy Q&A webinar with Grassroots Voice candidates for Labour’s National Executive Committee. Ann Henderson reviewed Scottish Labour’s position on Trident.
Visit Labour CND’s YouTube channel to hear what all #GV6 candidates had to say on Froeign Policy – Gemma Bolton, Yasmine Dar, Nadia Jama, Laura Pidcock, and Mish Rahman
Register here for #GrassrootsVoice #GV6 Rally with Jeremy Corbyn and others on 15 October
CND annual conference
CND’s annual conference takes place in two parts this year. Real security, lessons from the pandemic, on Sunday 18 October 14.00 to 16.30, with Jeremy Corbyn MP, is open to everyone.
Cllr Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, and Tom Unterrainer of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, join international security specialist Professor Paul Rogers of Bradford University Peace Studies Department and others for a discussion on real security in the post-pandemic world.
There are workshops on Visions of a green world, Security for the many, and Creative campaigning, plus Crane making and an online exhibition Time, Memory and Nuclear Weapons, curated by Hannah Kemp-Welch.
The conference is open to everyone, but please register in advance
Our members-only 2020 annual general meeting and policy conference, Campaigning in the post-virus world, is held a week earlier on Saturday October 10, details here.