Claudia Webbe MP

Member of Parliament for Leicester East

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 07973816885

Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP

Secretary of State for Defence 30th April 2020
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Ben,

RE: Urgent need for a global ceasefire to combat COVID-19

We are writing to you regarding the urgent need for a global ceasefire in order to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

You will be aware that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently
called for a global ceasefire to combat the rapid spread of the deadly virus. He said,
that “there should be only one fight in our world today, our shared battle against
COVID-19.” A ceasefire is necessary to create the conditions for the delivery of
lifesaving aid and to bring hope to war-torn places that are among the most
vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We welcome the fact that the UK government has endorsed this call for peace, along
with 70 other nations involved in conflicts in Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and
Yemen.

Yet, as Secretary-General Guterres correctly argued, “there is a huge distance

between declarations and deeds.” Although the UK has backed the ceasefire
proposal, there is no evidence of any action being taken on the ground with the RAF
continuing to fly troops around the world

There are currently thousands of British forces in at least 35 countries around the
world, including 1,000 in Afghanistan and more than 1,000 in the Middle East
including in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Their continued presence in these areas is only
serving to prolong conflict and heighten tensions.

For instance, in Yemen, despite expressed support for a ceasefire, the conflict has
spiked. The UK, alongside the US, supplies weapons and crucial military support to
the Saudi-led coalition, which is responsible for the highest number of reported
civilian fatalities. In January, the death toll in the war in Yemen passed 100,000. We
believe that the coronavirus outbreak offers our government a unique opportunity to
step away from this conflict, as well as other theatres of war which cause so much
suffering across the globe.

For casework please email: claudia.webbe.mp@parliament.uk

Twitter: @claudiawebbe
www.facebook.com/claudiaforLE
 Claudia Webbe MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester East
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 07973816885

We believe that continuing wars will inevitably make the impact of the coronavirus
much worse. A ceasefire and troop withdrawal would save hundreds of millions of
pounds that would be so much better spent dealing with the pandemic.

We urge the government to be true to its word and draw up a plan to withdraw British
troops from war zones. We believe that all governments should use this moment to
end the intolerable suffering caused by global conflicts.

We look forward to your response and urgent action on this crucial issue.

Yours sincerely,

Claudia Webbe MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester East

For casework please email: claudia.webbe.mp@parliament.uk

Twitter: @claudiawebbe
www.facebook.com/claudiaforLE