The Government presented the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill on 18 March 2020, thereby meeting its 100-day self imposed deadline. Second Reading has been scheduled for 23 September 2020. Aspects of the Bill are already generating controversy.
Documents to download
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Replacing the UK's nuclear deterrent: the long-awaited warhead decision (116 KB, PDF)
Since 2006 work has been underway on several programmes that will maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent beyond the life of the current system. Much of the focus in that time has been on the delivery of the new Dreadnought class submarines, which are expected to enter service in the early 2030s. However, a decision on replacing the UK’s Mk4/A nuclear warhead has also been long-awaited and work on possible options has been ongoing. After an initial deferral in 2010, a decision was widely expected to be taken as part of the Government’s forthcoming Integrated Defence and Security Review.
In February 2020, however, a US official disclosed the existence of a UK replacement warhead programme, which the Government subsequently confirmed in a Statement to the House. That revelation prompted widespread criticism that a decision appeared to have been taken without an official Government announcement or appropriate parliamentary scrutiny. Questions over the independence of the UK’s nuclear deterrent have once again risen to the fore.
Documents to download
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Replacing the UK's nuclear deterrent: the long-awaited warhead decision (116 KB, PDF)
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A general debate on the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been scheduled for Thursday 24 September 2020 in the Main Chamber. This debate was selected by the Backbench Business Committee.
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This paper provides a timeline of notable events in relations between the UK and China.
