Mark spoke at a mass rally in Edinburgh on Saturday, March 13th, against the Trident nuclear weapons programme. About 2,000 people took part in a peaceful protest calling for funding for Trident to be put towards public services instead. Participants marched with banners from Holyrood to the Grassmarket for speeches.

Mark rebelled against the Government and voted against the renewal of Trident when the UK Parliament debated the issue in 2007.

He said:

“The march for peace on Saturday was a really inspiring event with people from a wide range of organisations such as churches, trade unions and local groups, all concerned that nuclear weapons are a threat to our security rather than a contribution to our defence.

“A number of retired senior military officers have publicly argued against the replacement of Trident which they see as an outdated response to the real challenges to our security today.

“I was really pleased to see Alistair Darling’s decision to ring-fence frontline education and health services in the Pre-Budget Report and the money saved on Trident could be better used for other purposes such as safeguarding public services.”

In the Queen’s Speech last November, the UK Government reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Mark also signed a motion in Parliament calling for progress on nuclear disarmament at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference this coming May in New York.