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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Blair to unveil new Trident plans | Blair to unveil new Trident plans |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Tony Blair is expected to recommend to Parliament that a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines be built to carry Trident nuclear missiles. | Tony Blair is expected to recommend to Parliament that a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines be built to carry Trident nuclear missiles. |
| The plans, in a white paper, may also suggest cutting the size of 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. |
| The Tories say it would be "crazy" not to have UK nuclear weapons. The Lib Dems want a decision put back to 2014. | The Tories say it would be "crazy" not to have UK nuclear weapons. The Lib Dems want a decision put back to 2014. |
| 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 Send us your comments | 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 Send us your comments |
| 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. | 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 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 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 retaining a UK nuclear weapons system. | The prime minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown, widely tipped as his successor, have both indicated they support retaining a UK nuclear weapons system. |
| 'Nuclear club' | 'Nuclear club' |
| Mr Blair has said the system - 64 missiles based on four nuclear submarines - is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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 works | 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 works |
| Defence chiefs are understood to have ruled out basing a new weapons system on land or planes. | 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. | 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. | 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 is over. 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. |
| 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." | 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." |
| 'Crazy' | 'Crazy' |
| 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. | 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 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." | 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 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." | 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." |
| 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." | 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." |