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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Theresa May: It would be irresponsible to scrap Trident | Theresa May: It would be irresponsible to scrap Trident |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Theresa May has told MPs it would be "an act of gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon its nuclear weapons. | |
| The prime minister accused critics of the Trident system of being "the first to defend the country's enemies". | |
| MPs will vote later on whether to renew the UK's nuclear weapons programme. | |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who will vote against the government but whose party is split, warned of the effect that using an "indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction" could have. | |
| But he faced repeated criticism from his own backbenchers who told him to state Labour's official policy, which is in favour of renewal. | |
| Labour is currently reviewing its stance on Trident, and its MPs have been given a free vote in the Commons debate. | |
| 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. | 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." | 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". | 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". | 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. | 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". | 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 |
| Responding for Labour, Mr Corbyn - a life-long opponent of nuclear weapons - saying the UK should "step up to the plate" on disarmament. | |
| He said the cost of renewal - currently £31bn - was "ballooning ever upwards". | |
| "We on these benches, despite our differences on some issues, have always argued for the aim of a nuclear-free world," he said. | |
| But he asked MPs to "pause" to consider the "catastrophic" effects of the use of nuclear weapons. | |
| They had not stopped so-called Islamic State or former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, he said. | |
| SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said Trident "was an immoral, obscene and redundant weapons system", saying the vote was "one of the most important this parliament will ever take". | |
| Labour, he said, were "facing three ways at the same time and letting the government get away with this". | |
| Mr Corbyn is at odds with many of his Labour MPs over the future of the UK nuclear weapons system and has commissioned a review led by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to look at its future. | |
| Earlier shadow chancellor John McDonnell urged 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. |
| 'Playing games' | |
| 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. |
| 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". |