Friday [January 22nd] was an historic moment: it was the day the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force, making nuclear weapons illegal under international law. The first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty in more than two decades, this is an important step towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, there is real hope that President Joe Biden and President Vladimir Putin will agree a full five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States.

Now is the time for our government to throw its weight behind the treaty. The Conservatives always say they are in favour of multilateral disarmament; well, here is their chance to show leadership as part of their Global Britain ambition, and make it happen - instead of continuing to use the threat of mass murder as a means to security.

Chloe Turner

Minchinhampton