Tories to push on with £130bn Trident renewal despite pandemic

Posted: 8th February 2021

BORIS Johnson’s government is to push ahead with a £130 billion plan to
renew the Trident nuclear weapons system despite the grave financial crisis
caused by the pandemic.
( Note the figure of £130 billion is short of the £205 billion estimate that CND has generated)
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today there were
no proposals to postpone the programme with the new submarines to be moved
to Faslane on the Clyde once they were built. Chancellor Rishi Sunak told
MPs in November of the worst economic contraction in more than 300 years,
with borrowing by the UK Government in 2020-21 set to be the highest in
peacetime.

The National 7th Feb 2021
Click on the link below to read the full article:

https://www.thenational.scot/news/19071990.tories-push-130bn-trident-renewal-despite-pandemic-finances/

Below is a response from Kate Hudson, CND.

CND comments on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s insistence that Trident replacement will not be postponed, in spite of the terrible state of the UK’s public finances.

General Secretary Kate Hudson said:

“At such a critical time – economically, socially and politically – the government can ill afford to be squandering tremendous amounts of public funds on replacing Trident.

“The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts show a massive annual hole in the government’s finances over the next few years. We will be facing increased spending cuts on our already damaged public services and many will undergo severe hardship.

“Spending £205 billion on these weapons of mass destruction when the real security challenges we face are pandemics and the climate crisis, is irresponsible, head-in-the-sand politics.

“CND believes that it is the wrong decision for the Chancellor to continue with ‘business as usual’ for Trident replacement. It is vital that the government properly funds the healthcare service, invests in the economy and deals with the real threats to our security.”