Trident Replacement Archived News

05/15/2007

Legality of Trident called into question

Legality of Trident called into question - The Scotsman - A legal challenge to the Government's proposals to replace the Trident nuclear deterrent was launched today. Lawyers for two organisations, the Nuclear Information Service (NIS) and Peacerights, lodged papers at the Royal Courts of Justice in London seeking judicial review, claiming the Government is acting illegally. A judge will decide in private over the next few days whether they have an "arguable case" which should go to a full hearing. Peacerights, which works to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and NIS, which provides information on nuclear issues, say there has been lack of "accountability and due process". Trident challenge launched at High Court - Kuwait News Agency - A challenge to proposals to replace the UKs nuclear deterrent "Trident" was launched at the High Court Friday, peace campaigners said. Lawyers for two organisations, the "Nuclear Information Service" (NIS) and "Peacerights," lodged papers at the Royal Courts of Justice, in central London, seeking judicial review, claiming the British Government is acting illegally. A judge will decide in private over the next few days whether they have an "arguable case" which should go to a full hearing. Peacerights, which works to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and NIS, which provides information on nuclear issues, say there has been lack of "accountability and due process." The challenge centres on proposals for replacing Trident contained in the UK Government's White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent," published last December. Peacerights argue the British Government was "incorrect in law" in holding that the UK's retention of a nuclear deterrent was fully consistent with its international legal obligations.

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05/15/2007

Peace campaigner sets up party to oppose Trident

Peace campaigner sets up party to oppose Trident - The Scotsman - A city peace campaigner has set up a new political party and plans to stand against First Minister Jack McConnell at the Scottish Parliament elections on May 3. Richard Leat, 58, decided to launch the Anti-Trident Party as a focus for opposition to the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, which MPs voted for earlier this month. And he said he would stand as the party's candidate in Mr McConnell's constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw. The Anti-Trident Party hopes to fight three or four other seats in addition.

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05/15/2007

The lady from the Pru offers us dull security

The lady from the Pru offers us dull security - Andrew Gimson - The Daily Telegraph - It is the most dramatic insurance policy on the market today, certain to appeal to any householder who reckons the best way to deal with intruders is to nuke them. Yet Tony Blair sent Margaret Beckett, one of the least dramatic ministers in the Government, to sell it, for he knows that when people are buying insurance they like to think they are doing something safe and prudent and dull. So the Foreign Secretary sang no battle hymn to the Royal Navy's mighty Vanguard submarines, ready night and day to rain down a hail of Trident nuclear missiles on any foe imprudent enough to threaten Britannia with insult.

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05/15/2007

Iran mocks Britain over Trident

Iran mocks Britain over Trident - The Daily Mail - Iran has criticised Britain's plans to renew its nuclear arsenal as a 'serious setback' to international disarmament efforts. "Britain does not have the right to question others when they're not complying with their obligations" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty said Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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05/15/2007

FactCheck: Was there 'public debate' over Trident renewal?

FactCheck: Was there 'public debate' over Trident renewal? - Channel 4 News - John Reid promised it but did the government deliver? The claim: "We are not going to have a secret Chevaline-like decision taken by some of the Cabinet which then proceeds without any public discussion or debate. Even if that was desirable, and it is not, it is not possible." John Reid, then defence secretary, quoted in the Guardian, 13 September 2005. Trident upgrade under way, MoD admits - Richard Norton-Taylor - The Guardian - Britain's Trident nuclear weapons are being secretly upgraded to increase their accuracy and ability to attack a wider range of targets, the Guardian has learned. Ministers have repeatedly denied there are plans to refurbish Britain's nuclear warheads, arguing that it will be up to the next parliament to decide whether to do so. However, the MoD has now admitted that a new firing device developed by the US is to be installed in Britain's nuclear weapons system by scientists at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire.

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05/15/2007

Trident rebels 'will be defeated'

Trident rebels 'will be defeated' - BBC - Ministers have said they are confident of overcoming a possible Labour rebellion over plans to replace the UK's nuclear weapons system. A total of 64 out of 101 Labour backbenchers who responded to a BBC survey said they opposed renewal.

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05/15/2007

Labour's Trident revolt may grow to 100 MPs

Labour's Trident revolt may grow to 100 MPs - Kirsty Walker - The Daily Mail - Tony Blair is braced for one of the biggest rebellions of his premiership over controversial plans to renew Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent. At least 62 Labour MPs have signed up to an amendment calling for the decision on the £20billion update to be delayed because the case for replacing the missile system "is not yet proven". McConnell claims vote on Trident 'is not final' - James Kirkup - The Scotsman - "The next Westminster parliament will have a further opportunity to debate this issue before the full system is commissioned. That means the next Westminster election is the right time to express a view on this issue." - Jack McConnell. Jack McConnell has infuriated Labour colleagues in London by suggesting that tomorrow's Commons vote on replacing the Trident weapons system will not be Britain's final decision on keeping nuclear weapons. Blair fights for Trident as MPs desert him - Oonagh Blackman - The Mirror - Cabinet ministers were last night frantically trying to head off a huge revolt by Labour MPs over plans to upgrade Trident missiles. More than 100 backbenchers are thought ready to rebel after Deputy Commons Leader Nigel Griffiths quit yesterday over the £20billion revamp of Britain's sub-launched nukes.

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05/15/2007

Trident questions must be answered, say MPs - Report claims true cost of replacing system unclear - Concerns on proliferation and deterrence policy

Trident questions must be answered, say MPs - Report claims true cost of replacing system unclear - Concerns on proliferation and deterrence policy - Richard Norton-Taylor - The Guardian - Ministers have failed to answer fundamental questions about plans to renew the Trident nuclear missile system, including its true cost, why a decision must be taken now, and who it is meant to deter, a crossparty group of senior backbench MPs says in a hard-hitting report published today. In a report which challenges many of the basic premises behind the government's proposals, the Commons defence committee warns ministers against any "lowering of the nuclear threshold". It asks why they no longer talk about a "sub-strategic role" for Trident, and refer instead to varying the yield of Britain's nuclear warheads. MPs warn over 'nuclear threshold' - BBC - Ministers should not reduce the conditions under which the UK would launch a nuclear strike, MPs have said. A report from the Commons defence committee warned against "lowering the nuclear threshold". MPs are due to debate government plans to replace Britain's Trident missile system - estimated to cost between £15bn and £20bn - next week. The Ministry of Defence said it would consider using nuclear arms only "in extreme circumstances of self defence".

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05/15/2007

Experts Warn New U.S. Weapon Could Jumpstart Nuclear Arms Race

Experts Warn New U.S. Weapon Could Jumpstart Nuclear Arms Race - Haider Rizvi - OneWorld US - A U.S. plan to develop a new hydrogen bomb could spark production of new nuclear weapons by other countries, including several foes of the Bush administration, warn some of the nation's leading arms control and disarmament advocacy groups.

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05/15/2007

My unilateral conversion - I believe we should ditch our nuclear deterrent for the same reasons I once fought to save it

My unilateral conversion - I believe we should ditch our nuclear deterrent for the same reasons I once fought to save it - Roy Hattersley - The Guardian - Comment Is Free - " When the future of Trident is debated in the House of Commons, opponents of its renewal will be caricatured as starry-eyed pacifists who are unwilling to face the hard realities of the modern world. That will be standing truth on its head. Abandoning Britain's independent nuclear role would be the rational decision. These days it is the nuclear warriors whose policy is built on a sentimental view of Britain's place in the world; £21bn is a high price to pay for a boost to the national ego."

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05/15/2007

Trident tested

Trident tested - More4 News - The defence secretary and CND debate the issue for the first time. Should Britain remain a nuclear power? Tony Blair certainly thinks so: he hopes to invest £20bn in replacing the Trident nuclear weapons programme, and MPs are due to vote on the proposal on March 14. But a poll carried out for More 4 News now indicates 51 per cent of people want the question decided by a referendum, and that the prime minister's plans face opposition from almost three quarters of the country. Just 24 per cent said they thought that Britain should have the best possible nuclear deterrent in 20 years, while the same number thought the UK should keep its current weapons but not invest in more. Around a fifth said nuclear weapons may have been important during the Cold War, but are no longer necessary. And 29 per cent said Britain does not need nuclear weapons now and should never have had them in the first place. Lib Dems ready to vote with Labour rebels on Trident - Richard Norton-Taylor and Tania Branigan - The Guardian - The Liberal Democrats will join Labour's anti-nuclear MPs and vote against the government's plans to renew the Trident missile system, Sir Menzies Campbell has told the Guardian. "If the government puts a motion embodying the proposals Tony Blair has announced I will lead the Liberal Democrats into the no lobby," the Lib Dem leader promised during an interview in which he also said that all British troops should be withdrawn from Iraq in six months.

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05/15/2007

Why can't MPs see the folly of Trident? - Britain can have no moral authority over Iran's nuclear crusade while we are hellbent on upgrading our fleet

Why can't MPs see the folly of Trident? - Britain can have no moral authority over Iran's nuclear crusade while we are hellbent on upgrading our fleet - Mary Riddell - The Observer - The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke's warning, possibly the most overworked quote in public life, is often the least helpful. Bad laws might stay unframed and unwinnable wars unfought, but for the impulse to do something. Take Trident. Within the next few weeks, Parliament will vote on modernising the UK's nuclear deterrent, even though no one can explain why a new fleet must be authorised now. The Vanguard submarines could stay in service until at least 2020 and very likely for 15 further years. MPs should say no to Trident. But, almost certainly, they won't. So, as a second best, they should go for the do-nothing option.

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05/15/2007

Peace rallies held in two cities

Peace rallies held in two cities - BBC - Anti-war marchers have taken to the streets in London and Glasgow to call for the return of all troops from Iraq. They also demanded that plans to replace the Trident nuclear missile system be scrapped. Organisers from the Stop the War coalition said 60,000 people turned out in London's Trafalgar Square, but police put the figure at 10,000.

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05/15/2007

UN nuclear watchdog calls Trident hypocritical

UN nuclear watchdog calls Trident hypocritical - David Blair, The Daily Telegraph - Britain cannot expect other countries to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons if it upgrades the Trident deterrent, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday. Mohammed ElBaradei, who has led the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for 10 years, cast doubt on his own moral authority in seeking to curb the ambitions of countries like Iran, suspected of seeking nuclear weapons.

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05/15/2007

Not in Our Name: Campaign Launched against Trident - Exclusive: Leading figures from politics, religion, the arts and the military demand halt to replacement

Not in Our Name: Campaign Launched against Trident - Exclusive: Leading figures from politics, religion, the arts and the military demand halt to replacement - Colin Brown - The Independent - A powerful coalition of 100 scientists, lawyers, church leaders, actors, writers and MPs is today demanding a halt to the rush by Tony Blair towards a replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear weapon system. Stephen Hawking, the astrophysicist, is among the prominent figures fronting the campaign, which will strengthen growing demands in Parliament for the vote on the replacement of the nuclear weapons system to be delayed until a full debate on the options has taken place. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right Rev Rowan Williams, the author Zadie Smith, the actress Emma Thompson, the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the architect Richard Rogers have also signed a statement objecting to a hasty decision. Britain's 21st-century defence - Paul Rogers - Open Democracy - Two key military decisions will soon reveal whether the British government understands the real global-security challenges of the coming decades. To the extent that there is an open debate on British defence policy, it is centred on the arguments over whether Britain's Trident nuclear-weapons system should be replaced. The demonstration in London on Saturday 24 February 2007 will be the latest signal of public, political and some media concern. Campaigners step up anti-Trident calls - ePolitix - A coalition of 100 politicians and senior public figures have set out their opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system in a joint statement. Signatories to the statement issued on Thursday include Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, London mayor Ken Livingstone, SNP leader Alex Salmond and Labour deputy leadership candidate Jon Cruddas.

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05/15/2007

Future generations 'need Trident'

Future generations 'need Trident' - BBC - The UK needs to keep its nuclear weapons because of threats to future generations, Defence Secretary Des Browne has told MPs. He said maintaining Trident was the "overwhelmingly sensible" decision for MPs to make when they vote on the government's White Paper in March.

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05/15/2007

Labour call for Trident vote

Labour call for Trident vote - The Scotsman - Labour's national executive committee was under pressure today to give party members a say on whether to replace Britain's Trident nuclear missiles system.

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05/15/2007

Scotland 'only home' for Trident

Scotland 'only home' for Trident - BBC - Britain would be left with nowhere to store its nuclear weapons if it could not store them in Scotland, it has been claimed. The comments came from advocate John Mayer, who drafted an SNP bill which would criminalise Scottish ministers who order the use of nuclear weapons.

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05/15/2007

Britain needs Trident, Browne insists

Britain needs Trident, Browne insists - ePolitix - The defence secretary has said Britain's nuclear deterrent is central to its national security. Des Browne said nuclear weapons were not "inherently evil" and were required to protect against the rise of any dictator who may be willing to use nuclear arms. Speaking to an audience of academics and students at King's College London, he said Britain had to ask that given this power exists, "is it wrong for us to have it, to deter others from using it against us?"

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05/15/2007

Trident replacement 'premature'

Trident replacement 'premature' - Ian Sample - The Guardian - Plans to replace Britain's ailing Trident nuclear deterrent were branded "premature and wasteful" yesterday by a leading US nuclear expert, who claimed that delaying the decision for 15 years would save £5bn.

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05/15/2007

Spend our taxes on troops - not Trident

Spend our taxes on troops - not Trident - The Observer - It was not surprising to hear Tony Blair recommend last week that Britain looks to the future in anticipation of war. The assertion was made in the latest chapter of the Prime Minister's long, reluctant valediction - a lecture to military top brass. He praised the armed forces and acknowledged, but did not quite apologise for, the strain they are under as a result of fighting two wars on a peacetime budget. He defended his government's defence-spending record. He suggested that Britain should jealously guard its status as a global military power.

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05/15/2007

Minister quits after Trident vote

Minister quits after Trident vote - BBC - Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm has resigned from the Scottish government after voting with the SNP over the replacement of Trident. He was one of four Labour members who supported the SNP's motion opposing the replacement of the nuclear submarines with up-to-date models. Mr Chisholm said his decision had been a "matter of principle"

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05/15/2007

Tony Blair was assured of Tory votes to defeat an expected Labour backbench revolt over a key part of his political legacy - ensuring ...

Tony Blair was assured of Tory votes to defeat an expected Labour backbench revolt over a key part of his political legacy - ensuring that a new submarine fleet would carry the Trident missile and its nuclear warheads into the middle of the 21st century.

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05/15/2007

Lib Dems back Trident replacement

Lib Dems back Trident replacement - PoliticsNow.co.uk - The Liberal Democrats have signaled their support for replacing Britain's nuclear weapons system - but said the number of missiles it includes should be halved. Party leader Menzies Campbell said a nuclear-free world was "highly desirable" but admitted that with the threat of North Korea and Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, "it would be unwise" for Britain to abandon its own.

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05/15/2007

International Law Experts letter on Trident Replacement in The Guardian

International Law Experts letter on Trident Replacement in The Guardian - The following letter was co-ordinated by Peacerights, and published in the The Guardian - Dear Sir, Jack Straw states "only a simpleton could think replacing Trident would breach the nuclear non-proliferation treaty" Guardian, Friday 24th. We would remind Mr Straw of the United Kingdom's obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which states: "Each of the parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective control." Those obligations were set out by Rabinder Singh QC and Professor Christine Chinkin in an opinion for Peacerights last December. We 'simpletons' concur with their opinion that the replacement of Trident would constitute a material breach of Article VI.

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