http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5103764.stm
Gordon
Brown has signalled that he wants to keep and renew Britain's independent
nuclear deterrent.
The Trident
missile system and the Vanguard submarines which carry them need replacing by
2024 and a decision is set to be taken in the next year.
Estimates of
the cost vary from £10bn to £25bn, depending on what type of new missiles or
submarines are chosen.
Mr Brown's
intervention has enraged critics, who say Trident has no use now the Soviet Cold
War threat is over.
Labour had a
manifesto commitment to retain an independent nuclear deterrent but it only
applies until the next general election.
Mr Brown, seen
as the most likely next prime minister, has sparked new debate on the issue by
highlighting his personal commitment to replace Trident.
In his Mansion
House speech in the City of London, He said Britain would show a "national
purpose" in protecting its security.
"Strong in
defence in fighting terrorism, upholding NATO, supporting our armed forces at
home and abroad, and retaining our independent nuclear deterrent," he said.
"In an
insecure would we must and we will always have the strength to take all
necessary long term decisions to ensure both stability and security."
'No moral
reason'
It is thought
Mr Brown wants anti-nuclear campaigners to know he is just as committed to
replacing Trident as Tony Blair.
BBC political
editor Nick Robinson said Mr Brown's words would take the heat off the prime
minister, who could have produced "uproar" if he had made the same announcement.
The
government's position is that decisions on updating or replacing Trident are
likely to be needed during the current Parliament.
A Ministry of
Defence spokesman said: "No decisions have been taken on the replacement of
Trident, either in principle or detail."
But the
decision is expected to be taken in months rather than years.
Anti-nuclear
groups, Labour backbenchers and trade unionists voiced their alarm at Mr Brown's
words.
Kate Hudson,
chairwoman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "We were hoping that
any potential future prime minister would stick by the commitments made last
year by then Defence Secretary John Reid for a full public and parliamentary
debate.
"Our feeling
is statements like this from someone as significant as Gordon Brown pre-empts
that debate."
Statesman's
spin?
Ms Hudson said
this was the moment to start multi-lateral disarmament talks.
"At this
point, when we face no nuclear threat, to decide on a new Trident replacement is
beginning a new nuclear arms race," she said.
Labour MP Ian
Gibson, an opponent of Trident, said many young Labour backbenchers had been
weaned on CND and had not lost those early political views.
"So it may not
be as easy [to agree to replace Trident] as people might think because the
chancellor says so," he told BBC News 24.
Another Labour
backbencher, Gordon Prentice, asked: "How are we going to persuade other
countries not to go for nuclear weapons when we are spending millions of pounds
not disarming but upgrading our nuclear weapons?"
Keith Sonnet,
deputy general secretary of Unison, the country's biggest trade union, also
urged Mr Brown to think again.
'Smothering
debate'
The
Conservatives accused Mr Brown of "spin" designed to make him look statesmanlike
when he was in fact just repeating Labour's 2005 manifesto.
Shadow defence
secretary Liam Fox said: "The chancellor is reheating an old pledge to retain
the current nuclear deterrent but he is not committing to replacing the
independent nuclear deterrent when it reaches the end of its current life."
Liberal
Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: "Gordon Brown's posturing on
Trident is smothering the national debate that this government promised to the
British people," he said.
Earlier, Tony
Blair promised the "fullest possible debate" on Trident, but stopped short of
promising a vote.
-------------------
vanguard
【＠】バンガード、
【名】先駆け、先駆的地位、先導者、前衛
pre-empt
＝preempt
【変化】《動》pre-empts |
pre-empting | pre-empted
【他動】人より先に入手する、先手を打つ、相手を封じる、先制する、先取する、先買権で購入する、先に行動して阻止する、先取する、先買権を得るため占有する、代わりをする、代わる
backbencher
【変化】《複》backbenchers、
【名】《英》（下院の）後方席の議員、平議員、新人議員、陣笠代議士、陣笠議員
wean
【＠】ウィーン、【変化】《動》weans | weaning |
weaned、
【他動】離乳させる、乳離れさせる、引き離す