May Wins Vote on Trident, Says She’d Launch U.K. Nuclear Weapons

The motion supports the Government’s plans to replace four ageing Vanguard class submarines that carry the Trident missiles with four Successor vessels. But the debate has stirred strong emotions – and split the opposition Labour Party. Ian Paisley told the Commons: “Could I congratulate the Prime Minister for her sure-footedness today on bringing this motion before the House and at last allowing Parliament, in this session, to make a decision”.

“I do not believe the threat of mass murder is a legitimate way to go about global relations”, he told MPs.

“Abandoning our deterrent would not only undermine our own security but also that of our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies”, May said.

“We can not outsource the grave responsibility we shoulder for keeping our people safe”.

Since 1969, according to government documents, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world’s oceans.

Officially, Parliament was asked to agree to spend up to around 30 billion pounds renewing four Trident submarines that are equipped with nuclear missiles and warheads as they are due to become obsolete by the end of the decade.

“I would expect therefore all Labour MPs, including the leader of the Labour Party – in fact, especially the leader of the Labour Party – to uphold that current policy”.

“So I am personally persuaded that maintaining a minimum continuous at sea nuclear deterrent is necessary to safeguard our national security”.

Labour’s official policy is to keep nuclear weapons, but the party also has a large number of anti-nuclear activists in its ranks.

And many Labour MPs backed the motion, arguing that Labour policy as agreed by the party’s conference was to support multilateral nuclear disarmament – which means the United Kingdom would axe its weapons at the same time as other countries – but to retain its own nuclear arms until this was possible.

“Unlike some suggestions that we could have a nuclear deterrent but not actually be willing to use it, which come from the Labour Party frontbench”, the prime minister said, taking a swipe at the opposition, which is divided on the issue.

After giving his party a free vote on the issue, Corbyn ended up in a minority of just 48 Labour MPs who opposed Trident’s renewal, while another 45 chose to abstain.

Labour lawmaker John Woodcock, who represents the town where the new subs will be built, stood to tell May that, whatever Corbyn says, “it remains steadfastly Labour policy to renew the deterrent”.

Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.