OPINION – TUC, arms spendingAs the UK government continues to pour billions into defence spending, public services across the country are crumbling under the weight of chronic underfunding. Yet troublingly, the TUC alongside many of the UK’s major trade unions, including Unite the Union and GMB, have remained silent or even supportive of this decision. Historically, Britain’s trade unions have been at the forefront of campaigns for better public services and a foreign policy rooted in peace and diplomacy. To fund this hideous increase in defence spending the government has cut back on vital public services, notably the shameful cuts to disability benefits. This is why Stop the War is challenging the pro-defence spending position taken by the TUC and backing the UCU’s resolution calling for a reversal of the TUC policy supporting increased defence spending.