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Downgrading Trident 'naive or reckless' - defence secretary Trident: Lib Dems and Conservatives at odds over nuclear future
(about 2 hours later)
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says it would be "naive or reckless" not to have a like-for-like replacement of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are at odds over the future of Trident after a government report set out options for the UK's nuclear weapons system.
A Lib Dem review of alternatives is set to favour cutting the Vanguard missile-carrying submarines from four to two. The Lib Dems favour reducing the number of Vanguard submarines from four to three, saying the existing system was designed for the Cold War era.
The Lib Dems say the existing system was designed for the Cold War era. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said it would be "naive or reckless" not to have a like-for-like replacement.
Mr Hammond said it was not possible to predict future threats and said the plan would mean a "tiny saving for a huge gamble" with Britain's security. A final decision on the issue is to be made in 2016, after the next election.
Ahead of the review's publication at about 11:00 BST a group of former defence secretaries and military chiefs said Trident should not be downgraded. The UK has had a continuous-at-sea nuclear weapons system, with at least one submarine on patrol at any given time, for more than 40 years and has used the Trident system since the early 1990s.
In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, former Conservative defence secretaries Liam Fox and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Labour's Bob Ainsworth, Lord Reid of Cardowan and Lord Robertson, together with ex-chiefs of defence staff Lord Boyce and Lord Stirrup, set out their support for like-for-like replacement by saying the government should not "take risks with our security" by downgrading Trident in an "uncertain world". The government review makes no recommendations but set outs a range of options.
They say: "It is our view that if Britain is to remain a leading global power with strong defences, nothing less than a continuous-at-sea deterrent will do." Its main findings are:
'No conclusions'
The UK has had a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, with at least one submarine on patrol at any given time, for more than 40 years and has used the Trident system since the early 1980s.
The current four-submarine fleet will reach the end of its lifespan in the 2020s.The current four-submarine fleet will reach the end of its lifespan in the 2020s.
A final decision on whether to renew it has been delayed until 2016 amid differences between the coalition partners.A final decision on whether to renew it has been delayed until 2016 amid differences between the coalition partners.
The review results from a compromise reached by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the 2010 coalition agreement.The review results from a compromise reached by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the 2010 coalition agreement.
The Conservatives, who support like-for-like renewal, and the Lib Dems, who have long been sceptical, agreed to the value-for-money review to look into other options, including alternative delivery systems and a slimmed-down version of the current system.The Conservatives, who support like-for-like renewal, and the Lib Dems, who have long been sceptical, agreed to the value-for-money review to look into other options, including alternative delivery systems and a slimmed-down version of the current system.
But BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says the review does not draw conclusions nor make specific recommendations and will sharpen the divide between the parties in the run-up to the next election.But BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says the review does not draw conclusions nor make specific recommendations and will sharpen the divide between the parties in the run-up to the next election.
Critics have questioned whether the UK can continue to pay for Trident in its current form. The government estimates renewal costs will be between £15bn and £20bn but anti-nuclear campaigners say the figure will be much higher.Critics have questioned whether the UK can continue to pay for Trident in its current form. The government estimates renewal costs will be between £15bn and £20bn but anti-nuclear campaigners say the figure will be much higher.
The Ministry of Defence says the current cost of operating the Trident fleet is about 5% of the annual £34bn defence budget.The Ministry of Defence says the current cost of operating the Trident fleet is about 5% of the annual £34bn defence budget.
Mr Hammond, a Conservative, said the next generation of Trident would last until the 2060s and would "protect our children and our grandchildren".Mr Hammond, a Conservative, said the next generation of Trident would last until the 2060s and would "protect our children and our grandchildren".
He told the BBC that nuclear submarines were the "most complex man-made object on earth" and reducing the numbers available would leave the UK extremely "vulnerable".He told the BBC that nuclear submarines were the "most complex man-made object on earth" and reducing the numbers available would leave the UK extremely "vulnerable".
"Just because we do not perceive an immediate threat today, does not mean there would not be a threat over the 60-year odd time horizon we are looking at," he said."Just because we do not perceive an immediate threat today, does not mean there would not be a threat over the 60-year odd time horizon we are looking at," he said.
"The truth is, at the end of the day, we can have continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrents or we can have a part-time deterrent. The part-time deterrent will save us only trivial sums of money.""The truth is, at the end of the day, we can have continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrents or we can have a part-time deterrent. The part-time deterrent will save us only trivial sums of money."
'Nuclear ladder''Nuclear ladder'
But former Lib Dem defence minister Nick Harvey said it was time to "take some steps down the nuclear ladder" following the end of the Cold War. But Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander accused Mr Hammond of trying to "rubbish the report" and said his Conservatives colleagues "were worried about losing the argument".
While he favoured keeping a nuclear weapons system as an "insurance policy", the UK could "make do" with fewer submarines. The UK's nuclear policy had "not moved on very much since the end of the Cold War", he said, and the review showed there were "credible alternatives" to the current arrangements.
"What is clear to me is that there is no longer any need for continuous-at-sea deterrents," he told BBC Radio 4's Today. "We can move on by ending 24-hour patrols when we don't need them and buying fewer submarines," he said.
"This is the only part of our military capability that we keep on constant patrol but we do so despite the fact we have no nuclear adversary and the national security strategy has downgraded the nuclear threat to a second tier." "That way we can move down the ladder of disarmament as a country without compromising our national security."
Mr Alexander said £4bn would be saved from moving from four to three submarines but this was not the "driving motivation".
The review will not have any direct impact on the policy of the coalition government, which affirmed its commitment to Trident in its programme for government in 2010.The review will not have any direct impact on the policy of the coalition government, which affirmed its commitment to Trident in its programme for government in 2010.
A group of former defence secretaries and military chiefs - including Liam Fox and Lord Reid - have added their voices to those calling for Trident to stay in its current form in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.
Labour, which backed like-for-like renewal the last time Parliament voted in 2007, said the UK must have the "minimum credible deterrent" to guarantee its national security but must also ensure "maximum" value for money.Labour, which backed like-for-like renewal the last time Parliament voted in 2007, said the UK must have the "minimum credible deterrent" to guarantee its national security but must also ensure "maximum" value for money.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said cancelling Trident would bring "strategic and economic benefits" and for the government not to consider this seriously would be an "abdication of responsibility".The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said cancelling Trident would bring "strategic and economic benefits" and for the government not to consider this seriously would be an "abdication of responsibility".
Publishing an alternative review, which it says has the backing of a number of Lib Dem and Labour MPs, its general secretary Kate Hudson said not proceeding could save £100bn and give the UK "moral leadership" in global disarmament talks.Publishing an alternative review, which it says has the backing of a number of Lib Dem and Labour MPs, its general secretary Kate Hudson said not proceeding could save £100bn and give the UK "moral leadership" in global disarmament talks.