Abstract
The UK’s status as a nuclear weapon-state has been an integral part of the UK’s role in international affairs. This article traces several role conceptions associated with the UK’s nuclear status, and analyses role adaptation and contestation before and after Brexit. While EU membership (and then Brexit) had little direct impact on the UK as a nuclear-weapon state, we can observe a growing tension between the UK’s role conceptions of a ‘responsible nuclear weapon state’ and ‘nuclear-armed power with a global reach’ since around the time of the 2016 Brexit referendum. The 2021 Integrated Review indicates that the UK’s role conception has shifted towards the latter. At the same time, domestic role contestation, also exacerbated by Brexit, has further challenged the UK’s nuclear status, deepening divisions between the UK and Scottish governments, and placing the UK’s reputation, as well as its future as a Union, on the line.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The full list of documents is listed in the bibliography. For an in-depth methodological discussion, see Tight (2019).
Document analysis of UK statements and working papers from 2002 to 2019, drawing from https://ploughshares.ca/pl_publications/states-parties-npt-reports-united-kingdom | https://reachingcriticalwill.org/disarmament-fora | https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/.
Important to note that the nuclear weapons regime complex also comprises the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The UK rejected the TPNW arguing that nuclear deterrence is necessary due to the ‘unpredictable international security environment’ and that the TPNW both ‘undermines’ and ‘weakens’ the NPT (see HM Government 2017).
Although the 2022 Russo-Ukraine war has impacted the UK’s relations with Russia, including through the P5. France coordinated the P5 Process in 2021, however the UK government often takes on pen-holder responsibilities within the P5 to facilitate progress on certain issues, for example on risk reduction.
In April 2021 44% of Scots polled by YouGov said that Britain should give up nuclear weapons completely, compared to just 18% of those polled in England (YouGov 2022). It is worth noting however, that polling from March 2022 indicated a shift in Scottish public opinion, with support for Trident’s replacement seeing an increase from 20 to 38% since September 2021, likely attributed to the effects of 2022 Russo-Ukraine war.
References
@BeaFihn. 2022. Twitter. 12 August 2022. https://twitter.com/BeaFihn/status/1558060312103985152?s=20&t=9gd5OyJ2-LhlJGODxiYojw. Accessed 23 Aug 2022.
@France Désarmament. 2021. Twitter. 27 August 2021. https://twitter.com/FR_Desarmement/status/1431236039457259529. Accessed19 Apr 2022.
BASIC. 2020. Event recording: Launch of BASIC and ICCS report nuclear responsibilities: A new approach for thinking and talking about nuclear weapons, 2 November. https://basicint.org/event-nuclear-responsibilities-a-new-approach-for-thinking-and-talking-about-nuclear-weapons/. Accessed 31 Jan 2022.
Baylis, J., and K. Stoddart. 2015. The British nuclear experience: The roles of beliefs, culture and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Beasley, R., J. Kaarbo, and K. Oppermann. 2021. Role theory, foreign policy, and the social construction of sovereignty: Brexit stage right. Global Studies Quarterly 1 (1): 1–14.
Billon-Galland, A., T. Raines, and R. G. Whitman. 2020. The Future of the E3 Post-Brexit Cooperation Between the UK, France and Germany. Research Paper, Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/07/future-e3 Accessed 30 Jan 2022.
Brixey-Williams, S., and N. Wheeler. 2020. Nuclear responsibilities: A new approach for thinking and talking about nuclear weapons. BASIC and ICCS. https://basicint.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Brixey-Williams-and-Wheeler-Nuclear-Responsibilities-A-New-Approach-for-Thinking-and-Talking-about-Nuclear-Weapons-2020.pdf Accessed 31 Jan 2022.
Brummer, K., and C.G. Thies. 2015. The contested selection of national role conceptions. Foreign Policy Analysis 11: 273–293.
Clements, B., and C. Thomson. 2021. The “ultimate insurance” or an “irrelevance” for national security needs? partisanship, foreign policy attitudes, and the gender gap in british public opinion towards nuclear weapons. European Journal of International Security. Online Early: https://doi.org/10.1017/eis.2021.17.
Coveney, S. 2020. Brexit: Reputation of UK is being damaged in a serious way, 13 September. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-54137919 Accessed 24 Feb 2022.
Duncan, A. 2018. IAEA general conference 62, 17 September. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/18/09/gc62-uk-_statement.pdf Accessed 28 Feb 2022.
Economist, The. 2021. Britain is adding nukes for the first time since the cold war. https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/03/18/britain-is-adding-nukes-for-the-first-time-since-the-cold-war?utm_campaign=editorial-social&utm_%E2%80%A6 Accessed 30 Jan 2022.
Egeland, K. 2021. The ideology of nuclear order. New Political Science 43 (2): 208–230.
European Leadership Network. 2020. Lessons from the London P5 conference: Why civil Society Engagement is Key for success. https://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/lessons-from-the-london-p5-process-conference-why-civil-society-engagement-is-key-for-success/. Accessed 19 Apr 2022.
Freedman, L., and J. Michaels. 2019. The evolution of nuclear strategy. New, updated and completely. Revised. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Futter, A., and B. Bowen. 2020. A perfect storm? The RUSI Journal 165 (5–6): 92–99.
Gaskarth, J. 2014. The national interest and britain’s role in the world. In British foreign policy and the national interest, ed. T. Edmunds, J. Gaskarth, and R. Porter. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Harnisch, S. 2011. Role theory in international relations: approaches and analyses. London: Routledge.
Harries, M. 2021. Why is the United Kingdom raising its nuclear stockpile limits? The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, https://thebulletin.org/2021/04/why-is-the-united-kingdom-raising-its-nuclear-stockpile-limits/. Accessed 30 Jan 2022.
HM Government. 1994. Front line first: The defence costs study. Ministry of Defence. 14/7/94.ICAN. 2021. Five Ways the UK is Undermining the NPT, 7 April. https://www.icanw.org/five_ways_the_uk_is_undermining_the_npt. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
HM Government. 1998. Strategic defence review. Cm 3999. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20121026065214/www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/65F3D7AC-4340-4119-93A2-20825848E50E/0/sdr1998_complete.pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2023.
HM Government. 2003. Delivering security in a changing world: defence white paper. Ministry of Defence. Cm 6041. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20121026065214/www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/051AF365-0A97-4550-99C0-4D87D7C95DED/0/cm6041I_whitepaper2003.pdf. Accessed 14 Mar 2023.
HM Government. 2006. The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent. Cm 6994. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-the-united-kingdoms-nuclear-deterrent-defence-white-paper-2006-cm-6994. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
HM Government. 2010a. Securing Britain in an age of uncertainty: The strategic defence and security review. Cm 7948. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62482/strategic-defence-security-review.pdf. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
HM Government. 2010b. A strong Britain in an age of uncertainty: The national security strategy. Cm 7953. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61936/national-security-strategy.pdf. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
HM Government. 2015. National security strategy and strategic defence and security review 2015: A secure and prosperous United Kingdom. Cm 9161. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-strategy-and-strategic-defence-and-security-review-2015. Accessed 20 Sept 2022.
HM Government. 2021. Global Britain in a competitive age: The integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-britain-in-a-competitive-age-the-integrated-review-of-security-defence-development-and-foreign-policy. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
ICAN Australia. 2021. What’s Everyone Saying about the AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Deal?, 28 September. https://icanw.org.au/whats-everyone-saying-about-the-aukus-nuclear-submarine-deal/. Accessed 20 Sep 2021.
Levite, A., and T. Dalton. 2021. How the United States can use AUKUS to strengthen nuclear nonproliferation, carnegie endowment for international peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/12/16/how-united-states-can-use-aukus-to-strengthen-nuclear-nonproliferation-pub-86024. Accessed 30 Jan 2022.
Liddle, A. 2021. The integrated review and disarmament. 19 March. https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/aidanliddle/2021/03/19/disarmament-blog-the-integrated-review-and-disarmament/ Accessed 15 Jan 2022.
McCourt, D. 2021. Domestic contestation over foreign policy, role-based and otherwise: Three cautionary cases. Politics 41 (2): 173–188.
Mills, C. 2021. Integrated review 2021: Increasing the cap on the UK's nuclear stockpile, house of commons library, Briefing Paper. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9175/. Accessed 20 Sep 2022.
Paul, R. 2021. The ‘responsibility turn’ in nuclear diplomacy. BASIC. https://basicint.org/the-responsibility-turn-in-nuclear-diplomacy/. Accessed 19 Apr 2022.
Pierre, A. 1972. Nuclear politics: The British experience with an independent strategic force 1939–1970. London: Oxford University Press.
Plant, T., and M. Harries. 2021. Going ballistic: The UK’s proposed nuclear build-up. Commentary, RUSI. https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/going-ballistic-uks-proposed-nuclear-build. Accessed 10 Jan 2022.
Portela, C. 2020. Revitalizing the NPT: Preparing the EU for the Tenth RevCon. European Union Institute for Security Studies, Brief No. 1. https://www.iss.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUISSFiles/Brief%201.pdf Accessed 23 Aug 2022.
Reuters. 2022. Scotland split on support for independence, poll shows. 21 January. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/scotland-split-support-independence-poll-shows-2022-01-21/. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
Ritchie, N. 2007. Trident and British identity: Letting go of nuclear weapons. https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/917/Trident_and_British_Identity.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 13 Jan 2022.
Ritchie, N. 2013. Valuing and devaluing nuclear weapons. Contemporary Security Policy 34 (1): 146–173.
Ritchie, N. 2016. Nuclear identities and Scottish independence. The Non-Proliferation Review 23 (5–6): 653–675.
Sabin, P.A.G. 1993. British defence choices beyond ‘options for change. International Affairs 69 (2): 267–287.
Schrafstetter, S., and S. Twigge. 2004. Avoiding Armageddon. Europe, the United States and the Struggle for Nuclear Nonproliferation, 1945–1970. Westport: Praeger.
Scottish National Party. 2021. Scotland’s future, Scotland’s choice. https://www.snp.org/manifesto/. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
Shetty, S., and H. Williams. 2020. The P5 process: Opportunities for success in the NPT review conference. European Leadership Network/KCL Centre for Science and Security Studies. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/csss/assets/the-p5-process-opportunities-for-success-in-the-npt-review-conference.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Södersten, A. 2016. Brexit, Euratom and nuclear proliferation, nuclear law. Bulletin 98: 47–56.
Södersten, A. 2019. The changing landscape of non-proliferation and the EU. Swedish radiation safety authority report 06. https://www.stralsakerhetsmyndigheten.se/contentassets/99a36836b3024838b486a5c21a281ea5/201906-the-changing-landscape-of-non-proliferation-and-the-eu.pdf. Accessed 23 Aug2022.
Tight, M. 2019. Documentary research in the social sciences. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
UK Government. 2005. Strengthening Non-Proliferation: The 2005 NPT review conference. https://ploughshares.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/UK05-3.pdf. Accessed 24 Feb 2022.
UK Government. 2007. Statement by H.E Ambassador John Duncan to the 62nd UNGA First Committee. 25 October. https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com07/statements/25octuk.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
UK Government. 2013. Statement on nuclear weapons by H.E. Ambassador Matthew Rowland to the 68th UNGA First Committee, 16 October. https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com13/statements/17Oct_UK.pdf. Accessed 24 Feb 2022.
UK Government. 2016. Statement to the general debate by H.E. Ambassador Matthew Rowland to the 71st UNGA First Committee. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com16/statements/5Oct_UK.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
UK Government. 2017. UK statement on treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-statement-on-treaty-prohibiting-nuclear-weapons. Accessed 28 July 2022.
UK Government. 2018. General statement by the United Kingdom to the 2018 preparatory committee for the 2020 NPT review conference. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/npt/prepcom18/statements/24April_UK.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
UK Government. 2019. UK statement on treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-statement-on-treaty-prohibiting-nuclear-weapons. Accessed 28 July 2022.
UK Government. 2021. National report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the 10th NPT Review Conference. Whitehall. London. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029703/UK-national-report-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons-10th-review-conference.pdf. Accessed 31 Jan 2022.
UK Parliament, Hansard. 1990. Defence (options for change). Volume 177, debated on 25 July 1990. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-07-25/Debate-1.html. Accessed on 23 Aug 2022.
UK Parliament, Hansard. 2021. AUKUS. Volume 700, debated on 16 September 2021. https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-09-16/debates/4835BC3D-E0BF-43E0-9A3B-9BCC5B77DF7F/AUKUS. Accessed 23 Aug 2022.
UK Parliament, Hansard. 2022. Nuclear weapons. Volume 817, debated on 12 January 2022. https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-01-12/debates/A7BC629C-AA49-46F7-85B2-036FA7C716BA/NuclearWeapons. Accessed 15 Jan 2022.
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. 2019. National Report Pursuant to Actions 5, 20, and 21 of the NPT 2010 review conference final document by the United Kingdom (NPT/CONF.2020/PC.III/7).
US Department of State. 2019. Moving forward with the CEND initiative. Statement by Dr Christopher Ford, Wilton Park, UK, 20 November 2019. https://2017-2021.state.gov/moving-forward-with-the-cend-initiative/index.html. Accessed 19 Apr 2022.
Walker, W. 2010. The UK, threshold status and responsible nuclear sovereignty. International Affairs 86 (2): 447–464.
Walker, S.G., M. Schafer, and J. Beieler. 2016. Belief systems and foreign policy roles: Role contestation in US foreign policy decisions. In Domestic role contestation, foreign policy, and international relations, ed. C. Cantir and J. Kaarbo. New York: Routledge.
Wilton Park. 2021. Wilton park dialogue on supporting NPT diplomacy. 29 Nov–1 Dec 2021. https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WP2001-Provisional-programme-1-1.pdf. Accessed 28 July 2022.
YouGov. 2022. What should happen to trident at the end of its useful life? https://yougov.co.uk/topics/economy/trackers/what-should-happen-to-trident-at-the-end-of-its-useful-life. Accessed 28 July 2022.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
As part of a special issue of International Politics on: Adapting to Brexit: Identity, Status and Role in UK Foreign Policy.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Dee, M., Kienzle, B. Between role adaptation and contestation: the UK’s status as a nuclear weapon state after Brexit. Int Polit (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-023-00463-7
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-023-00463-7