Miliband vows Labour will keep nuclear deterrent on the Clyde to keep Britain safe
ED MILIBAND has insisted a future Labour Government would do “whatever it takes” to keep Britain safe, including keeping its continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent on the Clyde.
The Labour leader’s public commitment came after 20 former defence and security chiefs, including Scottish peer Lord Robertson, the ex-Nato Secretary General, warned that it would be “irresponsible folly” for the next UK Government not to renew Trident.
But Nicola Sturgeon rejected the warning, arguing Britain’s nuclear weapons were a “status symbol”, which did not add to state security. The SNP leader made clear Nationalist MPs would vote against Trident renewal and that it was a red line for any formal deal with Labour.
The former defence and security chiefs, who included two ex-Defence Secretaries, six ex-armed forces chiefs, two ex-GCHQ experts and 10 politicians and defence officials – expressed their views in an open letter to whoever should win next week’s election, insisting not to renew the nuclear submarine fleet based at Faslane would “effectively end Britain’s nuclear deterrent”, and would be “irrevocable”.
The main gateway decision is due in “early 2016”.
Asked if he was committed to approving the main gateway decision to renew the Clydebased nuclear submarine fleet in early 2016 Mr Miliband replied: “Let me be clear about this. We set out in our manifesto that we will keep our independent nuclear deterrent; a continuousat-sea deterrent.”
He said the warning from the former defence and security chiefs had to be “taken seriously”. He added: “I couldn’t be clearer; we will do whatever is necessary to keep our country safe.”
But the First Minister said she had a “very sharp disagreement” with the former defence and security chiefs, stressing how the UK needed strong conventional forces, which had been compromised because of “the obsession with Trident, which is a status symbol rather than a device to genuinely protect the country”.
Ms Sturgeon said the £100bn earmarked over the next 30 years for a new fleet of nuclear submarines would be better spent on healthcare and education.
“Britain is an island nation, a maritime nation, and yet Britain’s forces don’t have a single maritime patrol aircraft. When Russian submarines were thought to be patrolling in our territorial waters a few months ago, Britain had to call in other countries to check that out,” she added.