Tories vow to spend £100billion on Trident

TORIES will today open up a new front in the election war by pledging £100billion for a new fleet of four Trident submarines.

The manifesto commitment opens clear blue water between the party and Labour, whose leader Ed Miliband wants only the ‘least cost nuclear deterrent we can have’.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will also accuse the Labour leader of a ‘desperate’ bid for power by being prepared to weaken the country’s nuclear deterrent through a deal with the anti-Trident Scottish Nationalists after the General Election.

He will argue: ‘Ed Miliband stabbed his own brother in the back to become Labour leader. Now he is willing to stab the United Kingdom in the back to become Prime Minister.’

THE conservatives will today pledge to build a £100billion fleet of four new trident submarines if they win the General election.

the manifesto promise will come as Defence Secretary michael Fallon launches a deeply personal attack on ed miliband, claiming the labour leader is ‘so desperate for power’ he is willing to weaken Britain’s nuclear defences just to win support from the Scottish nationalists.

SNP leader nicola Sturgeon – whose party could hold the balance of power in a hung parliament – wants trident scrapped altogether. But in a speech in london, mr Fallon will insist the tories would ‘never’ do a deal on the future of trident in another coalition – and that a man prepared to stab his brother in the back to win the labour leadership cannot be trusted not to risk the nation’s security.

‘nicola Sturgeon could not be clearer. She has told ed miliband that scrapping trident – our country’s vital nuclear deterrent – is a red line she will not cross,’ the Defence Secretary will say.

‘If he wants the keys to no 10, he must abandon any plans to renew our current Vanguard ballistic missile submarines.

‘the SNP’s childlike world view would sacrifice the longterm security of the UK. the nuclear deterrent protects all of Britain, and the SNP represents a separatist threat that would dangerously weaken our collective defence. Britain doesn’t pay ransoms and the conservatives would never bow to demands from Scottish separatists.

‘ed miliband stabbed his own brother in the back to become labour leader. now he is willing to stab the UK in the back to become prime minister.’

there is mounting labour panic at polls suggesting the rampant SNP is on course for a landslide north of the border. Such a political earthquake would be likely to leave the SNP holding the balance of power at Westminster and determining who is in government for the first time in the 300-year history of the Union.

Both labour and the SNP have ruled out a formal coalition, but left the door open to a looser deal that would see mr miliband in power even if he wins fewer seats than the tories.

earlier this year, mr miliband suggested he might back a cheaper trident replacement than the current plan, estimated at £100billion for four submarines at about £5billion each, and annual running costs of £3billion over the subs’ lifetime of about 30 years.

today’s tory pledge puts labour in a difficult position, since ruling out any compromise on trident would infuriate the SNP and many voters in Scotland, where support for the system’s renewal is lower than in the rest of the UK.

mr Fallon will add today: ‘It is a sign of his weakness he has failed to rule out a deal. Voters can only conclude he would be prepared to trade Britain’s security just to get his hands on the keys to Downing Street.

‘the future of our country’s security will be on the ballot paper too. there will be a clear choice between a conservative government that will put our national security first. or ed miliband, a man so desperate for power he is ready to barter away our nuclear deterrent in a backroom deal with the SNP.’

mrs Sturgeon again faced a backlash during the second leaders’ debate in Scotland last night as she refused to rule out a snap referendum on independence. Scottish tory leader ruth Davidson admitted the Government could not stand in the way of another poll.