Sir Ed Davey has urged the government to end the UK’s reliance on the US for our nuclear deterrent.
While the UK has operational independence over our nuclear arsenal, we rely on the US to supply and maintain the missiles to fit the Trident warheads to.
The Liberal Democrat leader told his party’s spring conference: “Britain’s nuclear deterrent must be genuinely, verifiably ours – not dependent on Trump or whoever his successor may be. Trump has proven we can’t rely on America as a dependable ally.”
He called on the government to start developing British capability to maintain existing Trident missiles domestically, and to eventually manufacture British-made missiles to replace Trident when it reaches the end of its life in the 2040s.
“Britain has the best scientists, the best engineers, the best builders in the world. So let’s get building our own, truly independent nuclear deterrent here in the UK,” Davey said.
The Lib Dems say that this isn’t a departure from their long-standing policy of nuclear disarmament, but instead “reflects the reality of the current strategic landscape”.