About

Who We Are

We are a group of senior UK parliamentarians who have come together to advocate multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This group is made up of almost all of the former senior Ministers of foreign affairs and defence over the last two decades and includes former Chiefs of Defence who served during the same period.

The following 20 parliamentarians make up the Top Level Group:

  1. The Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP (Former Defence Secretary 2009-2010)
  2. The Rt Hon Michael Ancram, QC DL MP (Former Shadow Foreign Secretary 2001-2005, Former Shadow Defence Secretary 2005)
  3. The Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP (Present Chair of the Defence Select Committee in Parliament since 2005)
  4. The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP (Former Foreign Secretary 2006-2007)
  5. Admiral the Lord Boyce GCB OBE DL (Former Chief of the Defence Staff 2001-2003)
  6. Field Marshal The Lord Bramall KG GCB OBE MC DL JP (Former Chief of the General Staff 1979-1982, Chief of the Defence Staff 1982-1985)
  7. The Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Ladyton (Former Defence Secretary 2006-2008) (convener of group)
  8. The Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell MP, CBE QC (Former Leader Liberal Democrat Party, Former Shadow Foreign Secretary 2001-2006)
  9. The Rt Hon the Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC DL (Former First Lord of the Admiralty 1959-1963, Secretary of State for Defence 1970-1974, Foreign Secretary 1979-1982, NATO Secretary-General 1984-1988)
  10. General the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank GCB LVO OBE (Former Chief of the Defence Staff 1997-2001)
  11. The Rt Hon the Lord Howe of Aberavon (Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister 1989-1990)
  12. The Rt Hon the Lord Howell of Guilford (Former Opposition Spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the Lords 2000-2010, current Minister for Commonwealth Affairs)
  13. The Rt Hon the Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE (Former Foreign Secretary 1989 -1995)
  14. The Rt Hon the Lord King of Bridgwater (Former Defence Secretary 1989-1992)
  15. The Rt Hon the Lord Owen CH PC FKC (Former Foreign Secretary 1977-1979, Leader of the SDP, 1988-1990)
  16. General the Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE (Former Commander UK Field Army and Inspector General Territorial Army 1987-1990, Adjutant-General to the Forces 1990-1993)
  17. The Rt Hon the Lord John Reid (Former Defence Secretary 2005-2006)
  18. The Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, KCMG MP (Former Defence Secretary 1992-1995, Former Foreign Secretary 1995-1997)
  19. Rt Hon the Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG Hon FRSE (Former Defence Secretary 1997-1999, Former Secretary General of NATO 1999-2003)
  20. Rt Hon the Baroness Williams of Crosby (Former Adviser on Nuclear Proliferation to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Director for the Nuclear Threat Initiative 2002-2010), Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords (2001-2004)

WHAT WE AIM TO DO

The individual members of this group are experienced, high profile and highly influential in the political arena. Already many of the members have been vociferous in advocating nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. In pooling the talents of these individuals to comprise a focused group with fixed but flexible resources, we will be able to utilize our combined skills to give further political impetus to these issues for concrete outcomes across Europe and the US.

We aim to take advantage of the opportunity that this unique group will provide to:

  • Influence and support the UK government’s commitment to taking a lead on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation;
  • Make a UK contribution to the development of a European network of similar parliamentary groups;
  • Make an important contribution to the proposed ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the US; and
  • Advocate the agreement of a Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty (FMCT).