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Blair to unveil new Trident plans Blair to unveil new Trident plans
(about 5 hours later)
Tony Blair is expected to recommend to parliament that a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines be built to carry Trident missiles. Tony Blair is expected to recommend to Parliament that a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines be built to carry Trident nuclear missiles.
It is thought the plans - set out in a government white paper - will also leave open the option of cutting the submarine fleet from four to three. The plans, in a white paper, may also suggest cutting the size of the submarine fleet from four to three.
Reducing the stockpile of nuclear warheads may also be recommended - as a gesture to Labour backbench critics.Reducing the stockpile of nuclear warheads may also be recommended - as a gesture to Labour backbench critics.
Anti-nuclear campaigners are to stage a protest at the Faslane submarine base. The Tories say it would be "crazy" not to have UK nuclear weapons. The Lib Dems want a decision put back to 2014.
They are expected to demonstrate at the north gate of the Clyde base at 0700 GMT. In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain... it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament Liam FoxShadow defence secretary href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=4881&edition=1&ttl=20061204084916" class="">Send us your comments
Trident 'essential' Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell also wants the number of UK warheads halved to 100 - a move he said could help kickstart multilateral disarmament.
The lifespan of the current Trident missile system ends in 2024 and ministers have said a decision is needed now to ensure the replacement is ready by then. The lifespan of the current Trident system is said to end in 2024 and ministers have said a decision is needed now to ensure the replacement is ready by then.
The white paper will be followed by a three-month consultation and MPs' vote.The white paper will be followed by a three-month consultation and MPs' vote.
The prime minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown, widely tipped as his successor, have both indicated they support replacing Trident. The prime minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown, widely tipped as his successor, have both indicated they support retaining a UK nuclear weapons system.
Mr Blair has said the system - 64 missiles based on four nuclear submarines - is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself.
The Conservatives also support retaining nuclear weapons while the Liberal Democrats have said the number of nuclear warheads should be halved to 100.
'Nuclear club''Nuclear club'
BBC defence correspondent, Paul Wood, said: "Britain will still be a member of the nuclear club and the missiles will be carried by submarines. Mr Blair has said the system - 64 missiles based on four nuclear submarines - is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself.
"Defence officials said putting the warheads on planes or even a land-based weapons system has been considered and rejected. The white paper will outline various options, before naming the preferred option, which will be consulted on for three months before MPs vote on it early next year.
"These new submarines will carry the existing Trident missiles and warheads but would be capable of taking any successor missile."
He added that officials had dismissed reports that the new generation of missiles would be built abroad.
TRIDENT MISSILE SYSTEM Missile length: 44ft (13m)Weight: 130,000lb (58,500kg)Diameter: 74 inches (1.9m)Range: More than 4,600 miles (7,400km)Power plant: Three stage solid propellant rocketCost: £16.8m ($29.1m) per missile Source: Federation of American Scientists How Trident worksTRIDENT MISSILE SYSTEM Missile length: 44ft (13m)Weight: 130,000lb (58,500kg)Diameter: 74 inches (1.9m)Range: More than 4,600 miles (7,400km)Power plant: Three stage solid propellant rocketCost: £16.8m ($29.1m) per missile Source: Federation of American Scientists How Trident works
The controversial issue has reportedly "deeply divided" Labour MPs, with a CommunicateResearch poll for The Independent newspaper, suggesting that as many as one in four of them are opposed to the retention of the nuclear deterrent. Defence chiefs are understood to have ruled out basing a new weapons system on land or planes.
Instead Mr Blair is expected to say, when he unveils the white paper to MPs in the Commons at about 1540 GMT, he backs a new generation of submarines able to carry both the existing Trident missiles and any successor missile.
Officials have dismissed reports that the new generation of missiles would be built abroad.
Critics argue that a Trident-type system is outdated now that the Cold War it was designed for is over and the issue has divided Labour MPs.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle told the BBC it was a "very inopportune moment" to replace Trident.Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle told the BBC it was a "very inopportune moment" to replace Trident.
"Politically, it is extremely sensitive," he told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend. He told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "We need a full and protracted debate. We don't need to rush to some kind of decision over the next few months as appears to be the government's wish."
"We need a full and protracted debate. We don't need to rush to some kind of decision over the next few months as appears to be the government's wish." 'Crazy'
Critics also believe the estimated £10-25bn cost would be better spent elsewhere and Trident was designed for the Cold War, not modern threats of international terrorism. Critics believe the estimated £10-25bn cost would be better spent elsewhere - saying Trident was designed for the Cold War era, not the current threats to the UK such as international terrorism.
Kate Hudson, from the anti-nuclear pressure group, CND, told the Five Live programme: "If we go ahead with developing new nuclear weapons, we can be absolutely certain that many other countries will proliferate nuclear weapons and we are going to end up with a situation of nuclear war." Kate Hudson, from the anti-nuclear pressure group, CND, told BBC Five Live: "If we go ahead with developing new nuclear weapons, we can be absolutely certain that many other countries will proliferate nuclear weapons and we are going to end up with a situation of nuclear war."
But supporters argue Trident is needed to deter any threat - particularly at a time when countries like North Korea and Iran harbour their own nuclear ambitions. But for the Conservatives, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain - where countries like North Korea are developing nuclear weapons - where countries like Iran are trying to develop nuclear weapons - it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament."
The white paper will give the various options and why they are considered acceptable or not, and MPs will vote on a single recommendation. He said the decision was about protecting the UK from 2025 to 2050: "We don't know what we will face at that time. One thing we know is that you can't suddenly conjure up a nuclear deterrent if you require it."