20 March 2007 - Euro-MP Caroline Lucas is sponsoring debates on nuclear weapons and the links between ‘Peak Oil’ and food insecurity at the Green Party’s Spring Conference, which takes place in Swansea this week (Thursday-Sunday).

Dr Lucas will warn delegates that the New Labour-Tory decision to replace the UK ’s Trident nuclear weapons stockpile was ‘immoral, unlawful and utterly irrelevant to the real security threats we face’ and that rising oil prices could threaten food security, especially in the developing world.

“Spending billions on chasing cold war shadows and a 20th century notion of Britain as an imperial super-power is a shameful waste of taxpayers’ cash,” Dr Lucas will say.

“Worse, it will fuel the spread of nuclear weapons around the world and increase, not decrease, global insecurity.”

South-East England ’s Green Party MEP will make her comments during a debate this Friday. Later the same day she will launch her report ‘Fuelling a Food Crisis’, which analyses the links between food and energy prices – and security.

“Future oil price rises will have a massive impact on food security, and unless we address the problem now, we could face the prospect of food shortages in the UK - one of Europe’s largest food importers - and the possibility of serious food crises in some developing countries.”

This year’s Spring Conference will be held in Swansea , where the party hopes to win a seat to the Welsh Assembly in the forthcoming election on May 3rd .

Themes for the four-day event include education, energy and economics.

ENDS