By IRNA,
London : Former Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, has broken ranks with the UK’s new coalition government by joining calls for the country’s Trident nuclear weapons system to be included in Britain’s strategic defence review.
Controversial £20 billion plans to replace the UK’s nuclear deterrent has been excluded from the ongoing defence review, but Campbell said recent declarations that it would be funded by Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) budget mean it is now “de facto” under consideration.
In a letter to Defence Secretary Liam Fox, he raised questions about the need for continuous at-sea patrols in light of the threat to the UK and the high cost of replacement at a time of government spending cuts.
“Is it not now time to reconsider the whole approach to Trident, to include it formally in the defence review and to ensure that this element of our defence receives the scrutiny which strategic, political and financial circumstances demand?” Campbell asked.
The Lib Dems, the junior partners in the Conservative-led government, has faced criticism for abandoning their position on the Trident nuclear weapons system during their coalition negotiations.
The coalition commits the government to renew Trident and only allow it to be scrutinised to ensure it offers value for money, while the Lib Dems can “continue to make the case for alternatives”.
Britain’s current system uses four submarines to maintain a permanent capability, though cutting that number to three or scaling back patrols have been put forward as ways to extend its life and save money.
Prior to entering the coalition, the Lib Dems previously opposed a “like-for-like” renewal of Trident and called for all nuclear weapons to be included in the defence review.
CND, Britain’s oldest and Europe’s biggest single issue peace movement, has called on supporters to bombard Fox as well as junior Lib Dem defence minister Nick Harvey, with emails to review Trident and include it in multilateral disarmament negotiations.
Before becoming a minister, Harvey last year described Trident as a “Cold War relic” that was not “relevant to the security threats of today and tomorrow”.