Replacing Trident: Background Briefing for Parliamentarians
Dr. Nick Ritchie, January 2011
In December 2006 the Labour government set out its plans to replace the UK’s current Trident nuclear weapon system when it reaches the end of its service life in the 2020s. This will enable the UK to retain nuclear weapons well into the 2050s. Trident is the UK’s only remaining nuclear weapon system and if it is not replaced in some form Britain will cease to be a nuclear power.
The decision has proved controversial and it is likely to remain a contentious political issue for parliamentarians for many years to come. The purpose of this background briefing is to provide interested but uninformed parliamentarians, particularly new MPs, with a useful introduction to the debate.
This briefing was produced as part of a seminar hosted by the Top-Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilterla Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at the House of Commons in January 2011 for new MPs.
Download the report here
Dr. Nick Ritchie
Department of Peace Studies
University of Bradford
Bradford UK
BD7 1DP
Email: n.ritchie@bradford.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1274 236860
