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CND welcomes first cut in Trident Replacement programme |
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Tuesday, 22 September 2009 |
The
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament welcomes reports that Prime Minister
Gordon Brown will announce a cut in the number of submarines in the
Trident replacement nuclear weapons system and potentially also cut the
number of warheads held by Britain.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said:
"We
welcome this move by the government. A reduction in the planned system
is a serious and positive first step towards the scrapping of both the
current Trident nuclear weapons system and its replacement. This will
support the current global initiatives towards the elimination of all
nuclear weapons, led by President Obama and backed by leaders and
nations around the world.
"But the cuts cannot stop
here. Opinion polls are consistently showing a majority of the public
oppose Trident replacement. People rightly question spending in excess
of £76 billion on a system that retired generals describe as militarily
useless and which does nothing to protect against current threats to
our security. Why cut public services when you can cut useless weapons
of mass destruction? [See note 3 for polling]
"But cost is not
the only issue: the reality is that if the nuclear weapons states
maintain and rearm their nuclear weapons, this will encourage other
states to acquire nuclear weapons. By failing to disarm, we encourage
proliferation and put ourselves - and the whole world - at greater
risk. The government has understood this, and has taken a step in the
right direction. But the disarmament process cannot stop here - the
government must press ahead courageously and scrap Trident."
Interviews can be arranged via Ben Soffa on 07968 420 859
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- For further information and interviews please contact Ben Soffa, CND's Press Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
- The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe's
biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000 members in the
UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org
- Data from recent opinion polls:
http://www.cnduk.org/index.php/campaigns/trident/public-opposition.html
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