July 2016
I am sure you will agree that it is the first duty of Government to protect its citizens. It is therefore absolutely vital that we maintain a continuous independent nuclear deterrent as the ultimate guarantee of our national security. I believe firmly that we cannot dismiss the possibility that a major direct nuclear threat to the UK might emerge.
Despite successes over recent decades in limiting the number of states with nuclear capabilities, we cannot rule out a major shift in the international security situation which would put us under grave threat. That is why I do not believe it would be right to give up this capability unilaterally.
The Government’s policy is to retain the Trident continuous at sea nuclear deterrent to provide the ultimate guarantee of our safety and build the new fleet of four Successor Ballistic Missile Submarines – securing thousands of highly-skilled engineering jobs in the UK.
I welcome the commitment to support the renewal of Trident with a fleet of four submarines. The nuclear deterrent protects all of Britain, and scrapping it would dangerously weaken our collective defence. I fully support this position, because this is the only sensible policy for ensuring our country has future of security
There is and for a long time has been a cross party consensus on this issue. Now more than ever the need for a strong defence policy is clear.
