The campaign
The local elections in May represent a window of opportunity for local groups and individuals to contact candidates seeking election to ask them to sign up to the ICAN Cities Pledge supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
We believe this campaign is an ideal way to get local councillors in your area to make London and the London Boroughs allies in the campaign for nuclear disarmament. It is also an opportunity to put forward CND's arguments against the staggering idea of, expanding Britain's nuclear weapons arsenal and re-siting US nuclear weapons in Britain.
What you can do to support the campaign.
Familiarise yourself with the reasons for the pledge. You’ll find a flyer here outlining 5 reasons for councillors to support Britain's nuclear disarmament and oppose Britain's nuclear expansion.
Select pledge makers from the candidates in your locality here. Can’t find your candidate? We recommend you monitor this link for additional candidates as and when they’re available. All candidates will be finalised by 9 April.
Email your local candidates to invite them to sign the pledge. Please use this letter.
The pledge in full (not to be altered):
“I/We the undersigned councillor(s)
Are deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world. I/We firmly believe that our residents have the right to live in a world free from this threat.
Any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have catastrophic, far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for people and the environment. Therefore, I/we support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Therefore, we support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and call on our governments to sign and ratify it.”
Here is a link to the pdf version of the pledge too, and information on how to sign up. Individual councillors as well as councils can sign up.
Useful links
It is possible for your mayor to sign up to Mayors For Peace https://www.mayorsforpeace.org/en/
Richard Outram gave a presentation about the ICAN, with lots of useful tips and ideas for furthering this campaign. Here is a link to his presentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUXxSy2K3hM&t=13s
Further information
For further information on this campaign and to join the campaign WhatsApp Group, contact Sally Spiers or Mark Howell at info@londoncnd.org