‘We believe that all governments should use this moment to end the intolerable suffering caused by global conflicts’
A number of prominent MPs have signed a letter to the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, urging the government to take action in response to the call from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for a global ceasefire.
Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, announced support for the ceasefire shortly after Guterres’ statement but little action has been taken to follow it up, with an RAF bombing raid in Iraq having taken place on April 10th and continuing UK support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas and Liz Savile-Roberts are amongst a growing list of MPs to have signed the letter organised by Claudia Webbe MP.
In it they ‘urge the government to be true to its word and draw up a plan to withdraw British troops from war zones’.
They go on to say that ‘we believe that all governments should use this moment to end the intolerable suffering caused by global conflicts’.
Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, said:
“Continuing wars will inevitably make the impact of the coronavirus much worse. A ceasefire and troop withdrawal would save hundreds of millions of pounds that would be so much better spent dealing with the pandemic.
“The Yemini conflict is one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the modern era. There has never been a more important time for the UK to create opportunities for peace and step away from the conflict, as well as other theatres of war.
“From the COVID-19 pandemic to the existential threat of climate change, the global community is facing increasingly common enemies. Rather than funding wars, our governments should use this moment to end the intolerable suffering caused by global conflicts. Now is the time for a true global ceasefire.”
The full statement can be found here:
Dear Ben,
RE: Urgent need for a global ceasefire to combat COVID-19
We are writing to you regarding the urgent need for a global ceasefire in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will be aware that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called for a global ceasefire to combat the rapid spread of the deadly virus. He said, that “there should be only one fight in our world today, our shared battle against COVID-19.” A ceasefire is necessary to create the conditions for the delivery of lifesaving aid and to bring hope to war-torn places that are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will also be aware that the UK government has endorsed this call for peace, along with 70 other nations involved in conflicts in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
Yet, as Secretary-General Guterres correctly argued, “there is a huge distance between declarations and deeds.” Although the UK has backed the ceasefire proposal, there is no evidence of any action being taken on the ground with the RAF continuing to fly troops around the world
There are currently thousands of British forces in at least 35 countries around the world, including 1,000 in Afghanistan and more than 1,000 in the Middle East including in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Their continued presence in these areas is only serving to prolong conflict and heighten tensions.
For instance, in Yemen, despite expressed support for a ceasefire, the conflict has spiked. The British military and government are intimately involved in this conflict. The UK, alongside the US, supplies weapons and crucial military support to the Saudi-led coalition, which is responsible for the highest number of reported civilian fatalities. In January, the death toll in the war in Yemen passed 100,000.
The Yemini conflict is one of the worst humanitarian crises of the modern era. It is shameful that Britain is complicit in such an atrocity. The coronavirus outbreak offers our government a unique opportunity to step away from the conflict, as well as other theatres of war which cause so much suffering across the globe.
We urge the government to be true to its word and draw up a plan to withdraw British troops from war zones. We believe that all governments should use this moment to end the intolerable suffering caused by global conflicts.
We look forward to your response and urgent action on this crucial issue.
Yours sincerely,
Claudia Webbe MP Member of Parliament for Leicester East
CC: Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Diane Abbott MP Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Tahir Ali MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green
Paula Barker MP Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree
Apsana Begum MP Member of Parliament for Popular and Limehouse
Ian Byrne MP Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
Dawn Butler MP Member of Parliament for Brent Central
Richard Burgon MP Member of Parliament for Leeds East
Jeremy Corbyn MP Member of Parliament for Islington North
Martin Docherty-Hughes MP Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire
Jonathan Edwards MP Member of Parliament for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr
Stephen Farry MP Member of Parliament for North Down
Claire Hanna MP MP for Belfast South
Neale Hanvey MP Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency
Kim Johnson MP Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside
Ben Lake MP Member of Parliament for Ceredigion
Ian Lavery MP Member of Parliament for Wansbeck
Caroline Lucas MP Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
John McDonnell MP Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
Kenny MacAskill MP Member of Parliament for East Lothian
Grahame Morris MP Member of Parliament for Easington
Kate Osamor MP Member of Parliament for Edmonton
Kate Osborne MP Member of Parliament for Jarrow
Liz Savile-Roberts MP Member of Parliament for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Zarah Sultana MP Member of Parliament for Coventry South
Mick Whitley MP Member of Parliament for Birkenhead
Hywel Williams MP Member of Parliament for Arfon
Beth Winter MP Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley
