The U.K. government has notified its Parliament of proposed revisions to the UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement that include indefinitely extending the nuclear cooperation arrangement between the two countries due to expire at the end of 2024.
The proposed extension seeks to amend a provision in Article 5 of the 1958 agreement that subjects the pact to renewal every 10 years. London’s proposal also calls on Parliament to consider reciprocity in Article 4 provisions on naval nuclear propulsion cooperation and allow U.K. technology transfer and information sharing with the U.S.
The updates also seek to add new provisions to Article 13 to ensure the continuing protection of shared information or transferred material or equipment should either party terminate the MDA in the future.
The U.K.’s Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 provides that both Houses of Parliament can oppose the MDA’s ratification, but theoretically, only the House of Commons has the potential for indefinite opposition to the treaty. The deadline for opposition to ratification is Oct. 23.
The proposed MDA revisions were submitted to Parliament in July, four days before its summer recess, according to the Financial Times.
In July, President Joe Biden submitted to the U.S. Congress MDA amendments parallel with the London revisions that he said would enable the two sides to improve their shared defense posture and collective interests as NATO partners.