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World Courts Decision On Nuclear Weapons

EDM number 1137 in 1995-96, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 10/07/1996.

That this House welcomes the decision by the World Court, made at the request of the UN General Assembly, that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be 'contrary to the rules of international law' except in an extreme circumstance of self defence threatening the survival of the state, and the Court's further insistence that the nuclear weapons states should honour their obligation 'to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict international control', points out that these decisions were taken despite intense pressure from the nuclear weapons states not to rule at all and despite the dissent of judges from those states and emphasises the momentous consequences of the decisions in that it is now incumbent on Her Majesty's Government to put up positive proposals for getting rid of nuclear weapons and furthering world nuclear disarmament, on NATO to abandon the option to use nuclear weapons first, and on Britain and France to disavow any doctrine threatening the use of low yield weapons if 'vital interests are at risk'; and notes that the British judge effectively outlawed use of Trident in her dissenting argument that 'a weapon would be unlawful per se if it is incapable of being targeted at a military objective only'.

This motion has been signed by a total of 43 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Austin Mitchell10/07/1996Great GrimsbyProposed
Alan Simpson10/07/1996Nottingham SouthSigned
Bill Michie10/07/1996Sheffield, HeeleySigned
Jim Cousins10/07/1996Newcastle upon Tyne CentralSigned
George Galloway10/07/1996Glasgow HillheadSigned
Maria Fyfe11/07/1996Glasgow, MaryhillSigned
David Winnick11/07/1996Walsall NorthSigned
Neil Gerrard11/07/1996WalthamstowSigned
Frank Cook11/07/1996Stockton NorthSigned
Ronnie Campbell11/07/1996Blyth ValleySigned
Eddie Loyden11/07/1996Liverpool, GarstonSigned
Dennis Skinner11/07/1996BolsoverSigned
Robert Parry11/07/1996Liverpool, RiversideSigned
Ken Purchase12/07/1996Wolverhampton North EastSigned
Ken Livingstone12/07/1996Brent EastSigned
Tom Cox12/07/1996TootingSigned
Paul Flynn12/07/1996Newport WestSigned
Diane Abbott15/07/1996Hackney North & Stoke NewingtonSigned
Harry Barnes15/07/1996North East DerbyshireSigned
Bill Etherington15/07/1996Sunderland NorthSigned
Roland Boyes15/07/1996Houghton and WashingtonSigned
John McAllion15/07/1996Dundee EastSigned
Lawrence Cunliffe15/07/1996LeighSigned
Martin Redmond16/07/1996Don ValleySigned
Alex Salmond16/07/1996Banff & BuchanSigned
Lynne Jones16/07/1996Birmingham, Selly OakSigned
John Marek16/07/1996WrexhamSigned
Chris Mullin16/07/1996Sunderland SouthSigned
Joan Walley16/07/1996Stoke-on-Trent NorthSigned
Alan Meale17/07/1996MansfieldSigned
Audrey Wise17/07/1996PrestonSigned
Terry Davis17/07/1996Birmingham, Hodge HillSigned
Eric Clarke17/07/1996MidlothianSigned
Terry Lewis17/07/1996WorsleySigned
Helen Jackson17/07/1996Sheffield, HillsboroughSigned
Jean Corston18/07/1996Bristol EastSigned
Tommy Graham18/07/1996Renfrew West and InverclydeSigned
Alice Mahon23/07/1996HalifaxSigned
Tony Benn23/07/1996ChesterfieldSigned
Dafydd Wigley23/07/1996CaernarfonSigned
James Wray23/07/1996Glasgow ProvanSigned
Jack Thompson24/07/1996WansbeckSigned
John Heppell15/10/1996Nottingham EastSigned

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