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| Theresa May: It would be irresponsible to scrap Trident | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs it would be "an act of gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon its nuclear weapons. | |
| Mrs May accused critics of being "the first to defend the country's enemies". | |
| MPs will vote later on whether to renew the Trident nuclear weapons programme. | |
| Labour is split, with Jeremy Corbyn opposing renewal, but the party's MPs will get a free vote on the issue. The SNP will oppose the government, but ministers are expected to win the vote. | |
| MPs will be asked whether to press ahead with the manufacture of the next generation of nuclear submarines, set to be built at the BAE shipyard in Barrow. | |
| Mrs May warned of the threat faced by the UK, saying: "We cannot afford to relax our guard." | |
| The nuclear threat, she said, had "not gone away, if anything it has increased". | |
| She said it would be irresponsible to discard the "ultimate insurance policy". | |
| Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said Trident was "driving proliferation, not preventing it", prompting the PM to accuse her and other critics of defending the UK's enemies. | |
| Stopping nuclear weapons being used, the PM said, was "not achieved by giving them up unilaterally". | |
| What is Trident for? | What is Trident for? |
| Since 1969, according to government documents, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world's oceans. | Since 1969, according to government documents, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world's oceans. |
| The logic is to deter a nuclear attack on the UK because, even if the nation's conventional defence capabilities were destroyed, the silent submarine would still be able to launch a catastrophic retaliatory strike on the aggressor, a concept known as mutually assured destruction. | The logic is to deter a nuclear attack on the UK because, even if the nation's conventional defence capabilities were destroyed, the silent submarine would still be able to launch a catastrophic retaliatory strike on the aggressor, a concept known as mutually assured destruction. |
| The submarines, based at Faslane on the River Clyde, carry up to eight Trident missiles; each can be fitted with a number of warheads. | The submarines, based at Faslane on the River Clyde, carry up to eight Trident missiles; each can be fitted with a number of warheads. |
| Read more about the history of the UK's nuclear weapons system | Read more about the history of the UK's nuclear weapons system |
| Labour is split on the issue of Trident, particularly following the election of leader Jeremy Corbyn, a life-long opponent of nuclear weapons. | Labour is split on the issue of Trident, particularly following the election of leader Jeremy Corbyn, a life-long opponent of nuclear weapons. |
| He is at odds with many of his MPs over the future of the UK nuclear weapons system - which the government has estimated will cost £31bn to renew - and has commissioned a review led by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to look at its future. | He is at odds with many of his MPs over the future of the UK nuclear weapons system - which the government has estimated will cost £31bn to renew - and has commissioned a review led by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to look at its future. |
| Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he would be voting against the government because he "cannot support a weapon of mass destruction", urging Labour MPs to "respect each other's views". | Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he would be voting against the government because he "cannot support a weapon of mass destruction", urging Labour MPs to "respect each other's views". |
| Labour deputy leader Tom Watson told the BBC he would vote in favour of renewal, saying he thought it was "unacceptable" for MPs to abstain. | Labour deputy leader Tom Watson told the BBC he would vote in favour of renewal, saying he thought it was "unacceptable" for MPs to abstain. |
| "Now the government have made us take another vote on this, you cannot absolve yourself of responsibility for making a decision," he said. | "Now the government have made us take another vote on this, you cannot absolve yourself of responsibility for making a decision," he said. |
| He also warned that to oppose Trident would threaten security and cost jobs. | He also warned that to oppose Trident would threaten security and cost jobs. |
| But Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she will abstain from the vote "because frankly the Tory government is playing games with us". | But Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she will abstain from the vote "because frankly the Tory government is playing games with us". |
| "It will make no difference to what the government does, the government is proceeding with it in any event," she said. | "It will make no difference to what the government does, the government is proceeding with it in any event," she said. |
| "This vote, in the last week of Parliament, is all about playing games with the Labour Party and trying to embarrass us." | "This vote, in the last week of Parliament, is all about playing games with the Labour Party and trying to embarrass us." |
| But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied the vote was politically-motivated, saying the government was seeking Parliament's backing so it could get on with the renewal project and give confidence to the supply chain. | But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied the vote was politically-motivated, saying the government was seeking Parliament's backing so it could get on with the renewal project and give confidence to the supply chain. |
| The estimated cost has risen in recent years, but Mr Fallon said a new delivery body would ensure the submarines were delivered "on time and on budget", saying the £31bn bill had to be against their 30-year lifespan. | The estimated cost has risen in recent years, but Mr Fallon said a new delivery body would ensure the submarines were delivered "on time and on budget", saying the £31bn bill had to be against their 30-year lifespan. |
| Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith, a former member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said he would back renewal, saying he believed the world had become "more volatile, more insecure over the last few years". | Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith, a former member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said he would back renewal, saying he believed the world had become "more volatile, more insecure over the last few years". |
| Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said Trident "was an immoral, obscene and redundant weapons system". | Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said Trident "was an immoral, obscene and redundant weapons system". |
| "The vote on Trident is one of the most important this parliament will ever take," he said. "For the Tories to commit to spend hundreds of billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - particularly at a time when they are making significant cuts to public services - would be both morally and economically indefensible." | "The vote on Trident is one of the most important this parliament will ever take," he said. "For the Tories to commit to spend hundreds of billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - particularly at a time when they are making significant cuts to public services - would be both morally and economically indefensible." |