LEGAL REVIEW OF TRIDENT

Early day motion 312, tabled 11 February 1999 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 64 members.

That this House notes that the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 8th July 1996 was unable to find any legal circumstance where the threat or use of nuclear weapons by any nation could be permitted; further notes that international humanitarian law forbids the use of any weapons which, by its nature, could not discriminate between military targets and civilian targets and civilian populations; believes that the threat or use of the Trident nuclear weapons system is open to serious legal question, principally because the explosive capacity of its nuclear warheads and the nature of its potential targets mean that it cannot make the distinction between military targets and civilian populations; and therefore calls upon Her Majesty's Government to instruct its law officers to initiate an open and democratically accountable review of the legality of Britain's Trident nuclear weapon system and the Government's current nuclear doctrine.

Signatures by party: Labour 50, Labour/Co-operative 5, Scottish National Party 4, Plaid Cymru 3, Independent 1, Liberal Democrat 1.