Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Joint Press Statement from the Permanent Representatives to the UN of the US, France and UK on 7 July 2017, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the global stockpile of nuclear weapons.

The Government continues to work to deliver the Strategic Defence and Security Review commitment to reduce our stockpile of nuclear weapons to no more than 180 warheads by the mid 2020s. Progress on global nuclear disarmament also requires building the mutual trust between states, addressing the security concerns that continue to make nuclear deterrence necessary and putting into place the key international architecture to help build the conditions for further disarmament. The Government continues to work with partners across the international community to press for key steps towards multilateral nuclear disarmament, including the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and successful negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament. We also continue to play a leading role in disarmament verification.