By Daniel Bentley, PA Political Correspondent
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague will today warn that nuclear powers risk losing the ''moral argument'' with rogue states by undermining the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
He will call for a new consensus among the international community to tackle non-compliant states like North Korea and Iran.
Mr Hague will urge a ''workable balance'' between the need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and the ''legitimate aspirations'' for economic and technological progress.
In a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, he will also say that nuclear powers must share the benefits of nuclear technology.
He will say: ''Our countries are perceived to be willing to undercut fundamental universal principles of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in an ad hoc fashion, according to their interests, while at the same time denying other states access to the benefits of the nuclear age.
''This practice could lose us the moral argument.
''The major nuclear powers must therefore demonstrate that they are committed to sharing the benefits of peaceful applications of nuclear technology.
''We must demonstrate our long-term commitment to the universal principles of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and champion the debate now.''
