Ben Folley

Ben Folley (London, Compass): The future of the US Missile Defence system is now up for discussion following the election of Barack Obama as US President and two weekends in a row where the Czech Social Democrats have won enormous electoral victories over the governing conservatives, just as the Czech Chamber of Deputies prepares to discuss and vote on the installation of a US missile defence radar station.

Obama has previously suggested he is not willing to provide endless funds to a system for which there is little proof of operational success.

Within that context, and the success of the Czech Social Democrats campaigning on an explicit anti-missile defence agenda, the broad statement of over 50 Labour MPs released yesterday, welcoming their sister party's opposition and calling on the government here to allow an open debate on British involvement in the system, is particularly welcome. Their calls are boosted by a new opinion poll showing the British public believe US Missile Defence installations increase threats to national security.