Boris Johnson has dismissed complaints over a decision to withdraw from the UN registered ‘Mayors for Peace’ project saying his time is better spent tackling “issues of major importance to Londoners”.
On Wednesday a CND press release branded Mayor Johnson a “Mayor for War” after learning that he had withdrawn from the body which was founded by the Mayor of Hiroshima and campaigns to have nuclear weapons abolished.
CND chair Kate Hudson said “every Conservative government has supported Britain’s participation in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the goal of which is global nuclear disarmament. This decision suggests that Boris Johnson is retreating from that common goal.”
Hudson also claimed the decision was “insulting to the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the work of their Mayors for global peace”.
CND’s stance was backed by Green Party AM Jenny Jones who said the decision to with London from the project “sends out a signal that peace isn’t an issue the Mayor wishes to engage in” adding “perhaps we can’t expect anything better from someone who voted for the war on Iraq.”
Reacting to CND’s comments a spokesman for Mayor Johnson told MayorWatch: “Whilst there may be debate about the proliferation of nuclear weapons, membership of Mayors for Peace is not a priority for the new administration, which is committed to focusing on domestic issues of major importance to Londoners, such as safety on our streets, improving public transport and making this city a better place for all Londoners to live in.”
“The Mayor is also committed to value for money for London taxpayers and it is a much better use of his and his team’s time to focus on the important day-to-day issues that need to be addressed, which is what he was elected to do.”
