Spy base protest marks birthday

Menwith Hill's 'golf balls' are a Star Wars development say protesters

A 67-year-old retired midwife will be setting up camp in North Yorkshire on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the UK's acceptance of cruise missiles.

Veteran campaigner Helen John, who helped found the Greenham Common women's peace camp in 1981, is leading the weekend event at Menwith Hill.

On 12 December 1979, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the missiles would be coming to the UK.

Ms John, from Otley, said the protest was likely to be biggest on Sunday.

US bases

Three years after the announcement, on 12 December 1982, more than 30,000 women joined hands to encircle the Berkshire base where the first missiles were based.

"The focus is to get women campaigning to get all US bases out of the UK," Ms John told BBC News.

She set up the "Womenwithill" women's peace campaign and last May established a camp on the A59 in North Yorkshire near the US military base as a reminder of the preparations for "Star Wars" defence measures.

"We have utter contempt for the way the US government treats the British people to protect US interests," she said.

Ms John also confirmed that she is planning to run against Prime Minister Tony Blair in the next general election.

She will stand as an independent in the Sedgefield constituency in County Durham.

"I stood in the last election too," she said, "but I couldn't do much as I was in prison at the time."