The government’s decision to sharply increase the military budget during the COVID-19 health emergency.
That the £16.5 billion increase secures Britain’s position as Europe’s biggest military spender when it has the highest COVID-19 death toll across the continent due to the government’s pitiful response.
That Boris Johnson says defence should come first, even in a pandemic, but this extra money will be spent on increasing Britain’s offensive capacity – including the ability to launch rockets in space.
This branch believes:
It is simply unacceptable that the military should get its biggest spending increase in 30 years at a time when there is a crisis in social care, when hospitals are having to cancel essential operations due to underfunding and when the government is refusing to extend the universal credit uplift beyond the spring.
That the effort to save people’s lives and care for people in a crisis should have priority over new technologies of mass killing.
The £16.5 billion pounds would be far better invested in the public services the country relies on.
This branch resolves:
To lobby the local MPs on the issue.
To support Stop the War’s ‘No increase in military spending’ campaign.
To affiliate to Stop the War Coalition to support its campaigning work.
20 Nov 2020
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