MPs unite to back nuclear deterrent

By tristan nichols defence reporter

A UNIFIED response has been delivered by city MPs amid calls for the Government to scale back Britain's nuclear deterrent.

A paper by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) thinktank says ministers should consider dropping the requirement that there should always be at least one nuclear missile submarine on patrol at sea.

So-called continuous-at-sea-deterrence (CASD) has been the basis of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent since the first Polaris submarines, the predecessor of Trident, were deployed in 1968.

The RUSI paper by Professor Malcolm Chambers, a former adviser to Labou Foreign Secretaries Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett, suggests that CASD is no longer necessary following the end of the Cold War.

Plymouth MPs today rubbished the suggestion, and insisted the submarines, which undergo maintenance in Plymouth, were continuously deployed for a 'very good' reason.

Plymouth Moor View MP Alison Seabeck, who sits on the influential Defence Select Committee, said: "I would take issue with the suggestion we shouldn't have continuous-at-sea-deterrence.

"We need it simply because it is the safest place for the UK to have its nuclear deterrent. If it was alongside it would be vulnerable."

Mrs Seabeck also revealed that Defence Secretary Liam Fox had attended a comittee meeting last week and reaffirmed his stance over Trident.

"He chose his words well but the language he used suggested that he is not looking to downsize the Trident programme," Mrs Seabeck said.

"If anything, he is looking at savings within the programme."

Oliver Colvile, Tory MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: "Trident is all about the defence of the country.

"We need to retain our nuclear deterrant."

Gary Streeter, Tory MP for South West Devon, said: "It's not much of a deterrent if it takes five weeks to become operational. I understand why people want us to scale back Trident but I don't share their view. There are rogue states and now is not the right time to scale back."

Professor Chambers argued that abandoning CASD could produce significant financial savings at a time when the armed forces were facing cuts of at least 10 per cent over the next four years.

Both MPs have highlighted not only the issue relating to the UK's safety, but also the economic value of the maintenance work in Plymouth.

The Government says it is committed to maintaining the Trident missile system.