Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Catherine West Excerpts

Monday 4th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mark Field]

I believe that is correct. If I am incorrect, I will correct it in writing to my hon. Friend, but I believe he is correct.

[Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) (Lab)]

What assessment have the Government made of the impact of this breakdown on other nuclear powers, such as Pakistan, India, China and North Korea, and what can the Government do to get international diplomacy back on track in relation to the importance of the framework of inspections, which, without a treaty, could get lost?

[Mark Field]

The hon. Lady will be aware that this is a specific treaty within Europe between the US and Russia signed some 32 years ago, but she makes a valid point that these issues are not entirely isolated, and obviously therefore rogue states—for want of a better phrase—such as North Korea and states such as Pakistan that have nuclear capability will be watching from afar and making their own decisions. That is one reason I support the idea, before we rush headlong into lifting sanctions on North Korea, that we see verifiable evidence of denuclearisation, which, I am afraid, we have not had to date. That said, we are working closely with our partners in the region, and clearly the US is doing its best to make progress in that regard.