Weapons of Mass Destruction (Hansard, 22 May 2002)

HC Deb 22 May 2002 vol 386 c367W 367W

§ Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of weapons of mass destruction are held by the United Kingdom. [58079]

§ Mr. Hoon
There is no universally accepted definition of the phrase "weapons of mass destruction", but it is generally held to refer to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The UK possesses no chemical or biological weapons. It holds nuclear weapons lawfully, and is one of the category of nuclear weapons states as defined in Article 9(3) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.