This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Protesters have staged a “die-in” outside Westminster Abbey during a service they said amounted to “a bizarre celebration” of the 50th anniversary of Britain’s continuous nuclear deterrent.

Organised under the auspices of Gavin Williamson, who was sacked as defence secretary on Wednesday, the commemorative event was officially billed as recognising “sailors’ sacrifice” in supporting the Trident missile system and its predecessor, Polaris.

But the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) condemned the commemoration, attended by Prince William and the new defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt. The group said about 500 protesters took part in a CND protest and vigil outside the abbey, with 200 taking part in the die-in.

Protesters booed and shouted “shame on you” at William as he entered the abbey.



Omar Ahmed, 29, from Nelson, Lancashire, said: “William came here to represent the celebration of the British nuclear systems. I think it’s quite disgraceful that those most senior in society don’t realise the damage of what nuclear weapons can do.

“I’m quite perplexed – I know he feels an association to the military but I’m surprised that he would come and support something that could destroy our planet.”

It’s disgraceful that nuclear weapons are being celebrated at Westminster Abbey | Nick Megoran Read more

A CND supporter was accidentally sent an invitation email from the Ministry of Defence describing the event as “a national service of thanksgiving” to mark the longest unbroken military operation by the UK armed forces.

Westminster Abbey released a statement saying the service was “not a service of thanksgiving or a celebration of nuclear armaments”.

Veteran CND leaders and supporters including the peace campaigner Bruce Kent and musician Brian Eno attended the protest but the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who joined CND when he was 15 and is its vice-president, was not among them.

Labour sources said Corbyn was expected to be elsewhere in England as a result of the local elections, and CND was not expecting MPs to attend because the event took place in the aftermath of the political contests.

Kate Hudson, the CND’s general secretary, said the sacking of the defence secretary on Wednesday represented an opportunity to halt the event. “Surely with Gavin Williamson gone, it’s an apt time to cancel his bizarre nuclear weapons thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey?”

Williamson had taken journalists to the Trident base at Faslane near the Firth of Clyde in Scotland for a briefing this week before the event. He was fired by Theresa May shortly afterwards.

The UK’s continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD), has consisted of four nuclear submarines, at least one of which patrols the seas, able to respond in the event of a nuclear strike.

One of the first tasks of a newly elected prime minister is to write a note to the Trident submarine commanders, giving them their orders in the event the UK has been obliterated in war and no functioning government remains.

It is often said that one of the key tests a submarine commander can do to determine if their orders are to be activated is to check whether the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 is still broadcasting.

A spokesperson for Westminster Abbey said the event would “recognise the commitment of the Royal Navy to effective peacekeeping through the deterrent over the past 50 years and will pray for peace throughout the world”.

• This article was amended on 3 May 2019. An earlier version sited Faslane on the River Clyde. This has been changed because Faslane sits on a loch that is off the Firth of Clyde.