About the programme
In December 2006 the British government declared its intention to renew its single remaining Trident nuclear weapon system and retain a nuclear arsenal well into the 2050s.

The decision sparked widespread debate on the rationales for continued British possession of nuclear weapons, the consequences of retaining nuclear weapons and the possibilities for partial or full nuclear disarmament.

In October 2007 BDRC began a new research programme on "Nuclear-Armed Britain" that has developed in three stages:

1. Part I (2007-08) constitued a critical examination of the government’s decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system and the rationales that supported that decisions. Part I was generously finded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT).

2. Part II (2008-10) involved a detailed examination of alternative options for UK nuclear weapons policy between a like-for-like replacement and zero nuclear weapons and the opoprtunities and challenges involved in different options. Part II was generous;ly funded by JRCT and the Nuclear Education Trust.

3. Part III (2010-12) will examine the concept of 'devaluing' nuclear weapons in detail and critically assess the political and practical prospects and challenges of implementing significant devaluing steps in the UK in the context of the ongoing debate on Trident replacement and the concept of ‘minimum deterrence’. Part III has been generously funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and JRCT.

This website provides details of the programme, access to the programme's briefing papers and articles, and a database of government, parliamentary, academic and independent reports and analysis.

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University of Bradford
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West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP

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