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MPs vote to renew Trident weapons system MPs vote to renew Trident weapons system
(35 minutes later)
UK MPs back renewal of Trident nuclear weapons programme, voting 472 to 117 in favour in House of Commons MPs have backed the renewal of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system, voting 472 to 117 in favour in Parliament.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. The vote approves the manufacture of four replacement submarines at a current estimated cost of £31bn.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told MPs nuclear threats were growing around the world and Trident "puts doubts in the minds of our adversaries".
Labour was split over the issue with about 60% of MPs defying leader Jeremy Corbyn and backing the government.
Although Labour MPs were given a free vote, many used the occasion to attack Mr Corbyn, who is a longstanding opponent of nuclear weapons.
Although the official figures have yet to be confirmed, the BBC has been told that 138 Labour MPs voted with the government, while 48 abstained and 35 voted against.
The SNP opposed the move, saying nuclear weapons were "immoral" and the continued stationing of submarines on the Clyde could accelerate moves towards independence.
After the vote, the SNP said the government "must respect Scotland's clear decision against Trident renewal and remove these nuclear weapons of mass destruction from the Clyde".
'Serious investment'
The vote, by a majority of 355, came at the end of a five-hour debate, in which Theresa May spoke at the despatch box for the first time as prime minister.
She said it would be an "act of gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon the continuous-at-sea weapons system.
Although preparatory work on renewal is already under way, Monday's vote gives the final green light to a new fleet of submarines which are due to come into service by the early 2030s.
Summing up, Mr Fallon said Trident had helped protect the UK for more than 50 years and to disown it now would be to "gamble the long-term security of our citizens".
The UK faced growing threats from rogue nations, such as North Korea, as well as a more assertive Russia, he said.
"Nuclear weapons are here, they are not going to disappear," he said. "It is the role of government to make sure we can defend ourselves against them."
While acknowledging Trident was a "serious investment", Mr Fallon rejected claims it was a Cold War relic and could be increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks.
The UK, he insisted, was committed to multilateral nuclear disarmament and would reduce its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 180 by the mid-2020s.
Meanwhile, Labour's policy is in flux amid continuing divisions at the top of the party. Labour endorsed Trident renewal at the last election and although Mr Corbyn and his allies oppose it, a policy review on the issue has yet to be completed.
A succession of Labour MP accused Mr Corbyn of opposing official party policy by arguing against it at this stage, one accusing him of being "juvenile and narcissistic".