“Diplomacy and dialogue, not military escalation, are the only viable paths to a peaceful settlement in the region.”
A group of left wing MPs have issued a call for the UK prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden to ‘secure talks with Russia and Ukraine’ to prevent ‘escalation’ in the ongoing war.
In a letter to the Guardian, six MPs – including the Labour MP Diane Abbott and the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn argue that “the risk of a nuclear attack cannot be ruled out”, and that the British government should play a role in “securing an end to this horrific conflict”.
The letter opens as follows: “We are deeply concerned about the escalation in Ukraine. In response to British-made Storm Shadow missiles fired into Kursk, just days after Ukraine used the US’s army tactical missile systems (Atacms) to attack Bryansk, reports indicate that Russia has now launched intercontinental missiles into southern Ukraine. This rapid escalation seriously threatens an all-out military confrontation with Russia and Nato.”
Their letter concludes by saying that “Diplomacy and dialogue, not military escalation, are the only viable paths to a peaceful settlement in the region.”
The MPs to sign the letter were Labour’s Diane Abbott and all five members of the ‘Independent Alliance’ group in the House of Commons – Jeremy Corbyn, Ayoub Khan, Shockat Adam, Iqbal Mohamed and Adnan Hussain.
The letter was also signed by the RMT president Alex Gordon, the general secretary of the PCS union Fran Heathcote and the convener of the Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Jason – Creative Commons
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That’s why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward’s work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
