The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has slammed the Conservative Party for choosing personal attacks instead of serious debate over Trident replacement. CND said the Tories were ‘running scared’ of the Trident debate, following a scathing personal swipe at Labour leader Ed Miliband by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:
‘With the final vote on Trident replacement due in 2016, at an estimated cost of £100bn, this is the final election before the decision – and it is one which requires a higher level of debate than the Tories’ name-calling. While the Tories are happy to indulge in cheap personal attacks, they’re running scared from a serious debate about defence. Senior military figures warn that the £100bn white elephant of Trident replacement does nothing to keep us safe – and is resulting in thousands of jobs in the armed forces being slashed. How a blind commitment to squandering our overstretched national resources on a Cold War weapon can be touted as being “strong on defence” is beyond me.
‘Trident was left out of the last Strategic Defence and Security Review – but with the case for Trident replacement looking weaker by the day, questioning the squandering of £100bn is not only reasonable, but an obligation.
‘A survey of over 700 parliamentary candidates from across all the main political parties showed over 80% would vote against Trident replacement – including 75% of Labour candidates.
‘It’s clear that prospective parliamentarians are more in step with the public on this issue than their party leaderships. On Monday (13th) protesters are gathering outside the Ministry of Defence at a Vote Out Trident street party (details below) to tell candidates of all parties: if you’ll vote for Trident, we’ll vote you out.
‘It’s time for the Conservatives and Labour to wake up to the huge public opposition to Trident.
‘It’s time to scrap Trident, save £100bn, and spend it on things we really need.’
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