A vital ultimate deterrent in a dangerous world

Some arguments used against nuclear weapons during the Cold War no longer hold

Nuclear weapons are an abomination. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction, today’s missiles are many times more powerful than those used to such terrible effect on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Modern weapons could easily kill millions of civilians.

During the Cold War, anti-nuclear campaigners could make a coherent case for disarmament. If the UK had given up its missiles then, the delicate balance of deterrence between the two great super-powers, the US and the Soviet Union, would probably not have been disrupted. Britain might also have stopped being a target for Soviet nuclear attack.

Today many people, particularly in Scotland, remain steadfastly opposed to these weapons. This could be a political problem for Labour, but party leader Keir Starmer has now spelled out his determination to keep them in no uncertain terms: “… our nation's defence must always come first. Labour’s commitment to our nuclear deterrent is total,” he said. “In the face of rising global threats and growing Russian aggression, the UK'S nuclear deterrent is the bedrock of Labour's plan to keep Britain safe.”

Those who are morally opposed to nuclear weapons will reject this. However, those who take a more pragmatic approach should recognise that some of the old Cold War arguments no longer hold.

Given the hot war in Ukraine and the real threat to Nato countries like the Baltic states, the danger posed by Vladimir Putin is perhaps even greater than that during the Soviet era. Another major change is America’s growing isolationism. John Bolton, Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, has warned that, if re-elected, Trump could withdraw the US from Nato.

This would leave the UK and France as the alliance’s only nuclear powers to deter Putin from either firing nuclear missiles or using them as a cover to make conventional military conquests – threatening Armageddon if resistance proves too strong. Nuclear weapons are horrific but if Europe is to be defended against this bloodthirsty megalomaniac, they are absolutely vital.