Discuss - Defence Nuclear Defence - Maintain Trident nuclear defence

Should Britain maintain our nuclear defence - Trident missiles?

Alliance Party Alliance has seen no evidence to suggest that the like-for-like renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system is necessary or cost-effective. Alliance believes that other approaches can be found to ensure the nuclear security of the United Kingdom with a different focus to reflect the security challenges of the future rather than refighting the Cold War. Source: Alliance Westminster Manifesto

Conservative The Conservatives have vowed to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent, although they have announced a delay in the programme, meaning that the Vanguard Class submarines may remain in service until 2029.

Green Party The Green Party rejects any reliance on nuclear weapons. This rejection means that we will decommission UK's own nuclear weapons and insist on the removal of US nuclear bases. No further research will take place into nuclear weapons and the export of nuclear technology will be stopped. Ships carrying nuclear weapons will be banned from British ports. Source: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/pd.html

Labour Labour have disagreed with plans to base the UK's nuclear deterrent on warplanes or ground-based missiles, although some have recommended "fewer warheads and missile tubes". Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31600531

Liberal Democrat The Liberal Democrats would 'retain our Trident independent nuclear deterrent through a Contingency Posture of regular patrols, enabling a ‘surge’ to armed patrols when the international security context makes this appropriate. This would enable us to reduce the UK warhead stockpile and procure fewer Vanguard successor submarines, and would help the UK to fulfil our nuclear non-proliferation treaty commitments.' Source: Liberal Democrat pre-2015 Manifesto. The party has talked about the possibility of cutting back to two nuclear-warhead powered submarines, and more important - not having them on permanent nuclear armed patrol.

Plaid Cymru "An end to the wasteful and costly (£100bn) Trident-replacement programme. NO nuclear weapons in Wales (as proposed by the First Minister)." Source: Plaid Cymru, http://www.partyof.wales/easy-read-manifesto/

Respect Party Respect claims that Britain cannot afford to subsidise the £25bn 'behemoth' off Scotland's coast while 'our pensioners shiver their way through our inclement winters'. http://www.respectparty.org/national/scrap-trident/

SNP The SNP oppose the use of nuclear weapons and want to push for removal of Trident submarines from Scotland. At an SNP conference held in Inverness in 2013 delegates gave their backing for a ban on nuclear weapons, and that if the Scottish Referendum had a 'Yes' vote, the submarines would have been pulled from Scotland. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21910007

UKIP "The UK Independence Party would not scrap Trident, Nigel Farage has said, describing the manifesto that contained the policy as 'drivel'", on LBC 97.3 radio. Source: BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25879302

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