Nuclear Weapons

The Conservative Party is committed to retaining Britain’s minimum strategic nuclear deterrent and we will replace Britain’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent based on the Trident missile system. In an uncertain and volatile world, we believe it remains indispensable for our country’s national security.

All states signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have always been committed to a world free of nuclear weapons. It could only come about if all fissile material was controlled or destroyed, so that no rogue state or terrorist could get hold of it. Although it is a very distant ideal, it is the processes of verified disarmament and proliferation control consistent with that ideal that really matter. We feel that the NPT is the right tool to achieve that end.

Our position is clear – we are committed to keeping and replacing the submarine-based nuclear deterrent and it is the only programme that will be exempt from the defence review. The new deterrent will enter service in the 2020s and will likely be in service until the 2050s. No-one can predict what will happen over that time and the nuclear deterrent serves as an insurance policy against nuclear blackmail. It is also an unfortunate reality that the proliferation of nuclear weapons remains an significant issue in current international affairs. The concerns shared by the international community over North Korea and Iran illustrate this. Given this reality we feel it would not be wise to be contemplating to scrapping our nuclear deterrent and we feel this expenditure is crucial for the security of this country.