This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the debate to be held on 24 January on the prospects for multilateral nuclear disarmament, and the contribution which Britain could make.
Debate on 24 January: Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament (708 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the debate to be held on 24 January on the prospects for multilateral nuclear disarmament, and the contribution which Britain could make. The Note provides statistics on the estimated number of nuclear weapons worldwide; outlines the various international instruments relating to the control of nuclear weapons and to nuclear non-proliferation; sets out the UK’s position on multilateral nuclear disarmament and the policy to maintain a UK nuclear deterrent; and summarises selected commentary on the prospects for disarmament.
Debate on 24 January: Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament (708 KB , PDF)
The Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill is a two-clause government bill that would authorise the government to provide loans and other financial assistance to Ukraine resulting from the extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) loans agreement made at the meeting of the G7 and the EU in June 2024. It has been designated as a money bill and it completed its House of Commons stages on 18 December 2024 with broad cross-party support.
The House of Lords committee on international relations and defence has called on the government to remain alert to emerging changes in the Arctic and to regularly assess whether its strategy towards the region is “appropriately calibrated”. In a report published in 2023, the committee suggested the Arctic was experiencing significant change and was no longer a region of low-tension. It argued the situation was critical to UK interests.
The House of Lords European Affairs Committee welcomed the EU and UK response to the war in Ukraine “in general terms”. In its January 2024 report, the committee said some areas of UK-EU cooperation had been broadly effective. The committee said the report’s aim was to consider a longer-term approach and make recommendations to strengthen the UK-EU response. It called for more formal arrangements in several security and foreign policy areas.
