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| Sea-based nuclear deterrent expensive and 'insane' – ex-defence minister | Sea-based nuclear deterrent expensive and 'insane' – ex-defence minister |
| (4 months later) | |
| Keeping a constant sea-bound nuclear deterrent is "complete insanity" that costs too much and is militarily illogical, a former defence minister has said. | Keeping a constant sea-bound nuclear deterrent is "complete insanity" that costs too much and is militarily illogical, a former defence minister has said. |
| Sir Nick Harvey, who was armed forces minister until September, said the UK had to properly consider other options before any decisions were taken about whether to replace the Royal Navy's four ageing Trident submarines. | Sir Nick Harvey, who was armed forces minister until September, said the UK had to properly consider other options before any decisions were taken about whether to replace the Royal Navy's four ageing Trident submarines. |
| Giving evidence to a research paper compiled by the Nuclear Education Trust, Harvey made the case for alternatives to "like for like" replacement vessels, insisting the government needed to accept the world had changed, and so had the UK's enemies. | Giving evidence to a research paper compiled by the Nuclear Education Trust, Harvey made the case for alternatives to "like for like" replacement vessels, insisting the government needed to accept the world had changed, and so had the UK's enemies. |
| "Continuous at-sea deterrence is, it must be said, complete insanity," he told the trust. "At [the] height of the cold war, when the Soviet Union had us in its sights and we had their cities in ours, then at least it had some logic. Now, 20 years after 'de-targeting', what possible logic can there be in having a continuously available arsenal aimed at nothing in particular? The costs of continuous at-sea deterrence are also extreme – a vast financial premium." | "Continuous at-sea deterrence is, it must be said, complete insanity," he told the trust. "At [the] height of the cold war, when the Soviet Union had us in its sights and we had their cities in ours, then at least it had some logic. Now, 20 years after 'de-targeting', what possible logic can there be in having a continuously available arsenal aimed at nothing in particular? The costs of continuous at-sea deterrence are also extreme – a vast financial premium." |
| Harvey, a senior Liberal Democrat, said he hoped to see the government "descend the ladder of options". | Harvey, a senior Liberal Democrat, said he hoped to see the government "descend the ladder of options". |
| This could mean adopting a strategy of having only two replacements for the Trident-carrying Vanguard submarines, or converting the hunter-killer Astute submarines to carry nuclear warheads. | This could mean adopting a strategy of having only two replacements for the Trident-carrying Vanguard submarines, or converting the hunter-killer Astute submarines to carry nuclear warheads. |
| This is thought to be one of the options being explored by the Trident Alternatives Review, which was commissioned by Harvey when he was at the Ministry of Defence, and is now being overseen by Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury. | This is thought to be one of the options being explored by the Trident Alternatives Review, which was commissioned by Harvey when he was at the Ministry of Defence, and is now being overseen by Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury. |
| The review is due to report early next year and is expected to set out a series of options for the future of the UK's independent nuclear deterrent. | The review is due to report early next year and is expected to set out a series of options for the future of the UK's independent nuclear deterrent. |
| The government has already approved money for initial work to be undertaken to replace the Vanguards, but the "main gate" decision to go ahead with manufacturing new vessels will not be taken until 2016. | The government has already approved money for initial work to be undertaken to replace the Vanguards, but the "main gate" decision to go ahead with manufacturing new vessels will not be taken until 2016. |
| The Tories are in favour of replacing Trident, and the removal of Harvey has raised concerns that the review has been effectively mothballed. | The Tories are in favour of replacing Trident, and the removal of Harvey has raised concerns that the review has been effectively mothballed. |
| In separate evidence for Thursday's report, Prof Andrew Dorman from the thinktank Chatham House said Harvey's dismissal "would seem to confirm that the Trident Alternative Review has, to all intents and purposes, been shelved with the acquiescence of the leadership of the Liberal Democrats. Thus the review is likely to be as thin in its findings just as the previous Labour government's white paper on the replacement of the nuclear deterrent was. | In separate evidence for Thursday's report, Prof Andrew Dorman from the thinktank Chatham House said Harvey's dismissal "would seem to confirm that the Trident Alternative Review has, to all intents and purposes, been shelved with the acquiescence of the leadership of the Liberal Democrats. Thus the review is likely to be as thin in its findings just as the previous Labour government's white paper on the replacement of the nuclear deterrent was. |
| "Its conclusions, no doubt, will be to carry on with the existing policy … the Trident Alternatives Review has effectively ended with the loss of Liberal Democrat leadership within the MoD." | "Its conclusions, no doubt, will be to carry on with the existing policy … the Trident Alternatives Review has effectively ended with the loss of Liberal Democrat leadership within the MoD." |
| The trust's lengthy research paper also set out the potentially devastating consequences to the shipbuilding community at Barrow-in-Furness, where BAE Systems has 5,000 people working on the Astute and Trident "successor" programmes. | The trust's lengthy research paper also set out the potentially devastating consequences to the shipbuilding community at Barrow-in-Furness, where BAE Systems has 5,000 people working on the Astute and Trident "successor" programmes. |
| Community and business leaders said if the Trident submarines were not replaced, "the government must provide immediate, sustained and considerable support, which should include for instance regeneration funding at the level of £100 million for every 1,000 jobs lost to the local economy". | Community and business leaders said if the Trident submarines were not replaced, "the government must provide immediate, sustained and considerable support, which should include for instance regeneration funding at the level of £100 million for every 1,000 jobs lost to the local economy". |
| The trust called for the Trident Alternatives Review to be "made public by the coalition with the least number of redactions possible" so that people could consider the issues. | The trust called for the Trident Alternatives Review to be "made public by the coalition with the least number of redactions possible" so that people could consider the issues. |
| Harvey suggested work at Barrow-in-Furness could be sustained by increasing the number of Astute submarines from seven to 10 – if the Trident boats are not replaced. | Harvey suggested work at Barrow-in-Furness could be sustained by increasing the number of Astute submarines from seven to 10 – if the Trident boats are not replaced. |
| "If we were to commit to a programme of 10 non-Ballistic submarines, BAE Systems would maintain a perpetuity of business employing numbers at 4,000 or so." | "If we were to commit to a programme of 10 non-Ballistic submarines, BAE Systems would maintain a perpetuity of business employing numbers at 4,000 or so." |
| He said 1,000 jobs would be lost, but that it was "not feasible in the current financial climate, and given the pressures within the MoD for other equipment, to spend approximately £100bn on weapons of mass destruction in order to save 1,000 or so jobs." | He said 1,000 jobs would be lost, but that it was "not feasible in the current financial climate, and given the pressures within the MoD for other equipment, to spend approximately £100bn on weapons of mass destruction in order to save 1,000 or so jobs." |
| Harvey said it would be cheaper for the government to give every worker £2m "so they could go an live in the Bahamas". This option was, he said, not entirely flippant. | Harvey said it would be cheaper for the government to give every worker £2m "so they could go an live in the Bahamas". This option was, he said, not entirely flippant. |
| "I would have thought [it was] not unwelcome to the employees as well as affordable to the government given the scale of the potential savings." | "I would have thought [it was] not unwelcome to the employees as well as affordable to the government given the scale of the potential savings." |
| "I am very clear the government does have a moral responsibility to step in and make some kind of injection into the local economy, including a considerable financial commitment." | "I am very clear the government does have a moral responsibility to step in and make some kind of injection into the local economy, including a considerable financial commitment." |
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