The following motion was approved by the Scottish Parliament:

"That the Parliament congratulates the majority of Scottish MPs for voting on 14 March 2007 to reject the replacement of Trident, recognises that decisions on matters of defence are matters within the responsibility of the UK Government and Parliament and calls on the UK Government not to go ahead at this time with the proposal in the White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent."

71 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) voted for this motion, 16 against and 39 abstained.

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Roy Hattersley, The Guardian

The nuclear deterrent changed my life. In the early 60s - having been rejected by a dozen safe Labour constituencies - I decided that London and parliament were not for me. I would remain in the north, administer my small part of the health service, and guide the housing department of Sheffield city council. Then Hugh Gaitskill promised to "fight and fight again to save the party we love". Suddenly, all I wanted was to be a foot soldier in the battle against the forces of unreason demanding unilateral nuclear disarmament. So I set off again on the long and winding road that led to the Sparkbrook division of Birmingham.

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On 4 December 2006 the UK Government published its White Paper on "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent". This stated its decision to replace the current Trident-carrying Vanguard-class submarines with new ballistic missile submarines. This information sheet will consider some of the legal implications of the White Paper.

View the info sheet (.pdf)

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Tony Blair could face a substantial backbench revolt over his decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, it has emerged, with moderate Labour MPs joining forces with leftwingers to try to delay approving up to £20bn of government spending on the project.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and one of several contenders in the race to replace John Prescott as the party's deputy leader, said a rebel amendment calling for a longer debate was likely to be tabled ahead of a crunch Commons vote expected on March 14. (More)

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Thousands of anti-war protesters took part in demonstrations yesterday in London and Glasgow calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.

Among the activists and military families who took to the streets were politicians and entertainers. Comedian Mark Thomas and playwright David Edgar were expected to speak at a rally in Trafalgar Square. The Stop the War coalition, which organised the event, along with CND and the British Muslim Initiative, estimated that around 100,000 participated in London. The Metropolitan Police estimated about 2,000-3,000 took part. The protest also demonstrated against the replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system and warned against attacking Iran.

From: The Observer

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Political, church and union leaders joined hundreds of people at a Bin the Bomb rally in Scotland's biggest city.

An estimated 1,000 protesters joined the demonstration in Glasgow calling for the Trident nuclear weapon system to be ditched.

From: Press Association
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Seven Greenpeace boats left Greenock this morning to blockade the Trident nuclear submarine at its Scottish base in response to Tony Blair's determination to start building the next generation of British nuclear weapons.

Tony Blair is rushing through a vote in parliament next month to build a replacement for Trident - a new generation of nuclear weapons. The outcome of the vote will have severe implications not just for the UK, but also for the rest of the world.

From: Greenpeace UK

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Britain cannot expect other countries to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons if it upgrades the Trident deterrent, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday.

Mohammed ElBaradei, who has led the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for 10 years, cast doubt on his own moral authority in seeking to curb the ambitions of countries like Iran, suspected of seeking nuclear weapons.

From: The Telegraph

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By Rebecca Johnson

Does Britain need to replace its nuclear weapons? The current system, which comprises four nuclear submarines, around 50 U.S. Trident D5 ballistic missiles, and up to 200 warheads similar to the U.S. W76 (around 100 kilotons each), is good to go until well into the 2020s. So why is British Prime Minister Tony Blair so keen for a decision before he departs office?
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The government has "stack-ed the deck" in favour of an immediate decision to replace the Trident submarine fleet that carries Britain's nuclear deterrent, according to one of the US's most eminent physicists.

Richard Garwin, principal architect of the first US hydrogen bomb design and a long-standing consultant to successive US administrations on security matters, says the decision announced by the government in December to build three or four submarines to replace the existing Vanguard-class ships is "highly premature".

From: Financial Times

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AN SNP-LED Scottish Executive would openly challenge the government's decision to renew Trident by imposing a £1 million toll on every warhead transported in nuclear convoys.

SNP leader Alex Salmond says the levy will be the centrepiece of his attempt to prevent a new generation of nuclear weapons being based on the Clyde.

From: Sunday Herald

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The US is about to announce the replacement of its submarine-launched nuclear warheads in a move that could shape Britain's planned £25bn upgrade for its Trident force.
Sources say UK scientists from the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston and its sister site at Burghfield may have helped the US to develop its reliable replacement warheads (RRW).

(from: The Herald)

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AN SNP-LED Executive would put itself on a collision course with the UK government by criminalising ministers and civil servants who prepare the groundwork for using nuclear weapons based in Scotland.

Nationalist leader Alex Salmond has said he will back a bill as first minister which would thwart the renewal of the Trident missile system. He believes the measure will help make Holyrood the political centre for ridding Scotland of weapons of mass destruction.

(from: Sunday Herald)

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Leaders of the Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church in Scotland have condemned sectarianism in Scotland and Trident renewal in their first ever joint New Year statement.

Leaders of the Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church in Scotland have issued their first ever joint New Year statement in which they condemn sectarianism and strongly criticise the government's plans to replace Trident.

by Maria Mackay, Christian Today

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Ian Bruce Herald 11th December

Federation of American Scientists said yesterday: "Prime Minister Blair knew that a new generation of nukes and expensive submarines would be a hard-sell domestically.
That's why he sweetened the announcement that Britain will reduce its stock of operationally available warheads from about 200 to fewer than 160.
"The gesture is somewhat hollow because Britain only has enough Trident D5 missiles to arm three of its four boats with a maximum of 144 warheads anyway."
The FAS estimates the Vanguard flotilla needs between 108-132 warheads in total, rather than the 200 held in depots or deployed on patrols.
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Five MPs together with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament are today handing in an Alternative White Paper to Downing Street. Gavin Strang MP, Katy Clark MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Linda Riordan MP, and Michael Meacher MP will join CND Chair Kate Hudson in presenting the Alternative White Paper to the Prime Minister’s residence.

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Tony Blair today recommended that Britain renew its Trident nuclear deterrent into at least the middle of the century, calling it "the ultimate insurance".

But the prime minister told MPs it would be possible to cut Britain's stockpile by 20%, leaving fewer than 160 operationally available warheads.

From: Guardian

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Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp today condemned the government's White Paper for its commitment to retaining a UK nuclear weapons system, and for its failure to come clean about measures the government has already taken at AWE Aldermaston to build facilities to test, design and build a new generation of nuclear warheads. (More)

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LONDON, Dec. 4 — Citing a potential nuclear threat from nations like North Korea and Iran, Prime Minister Tony Blair urged legislators today to extend the life of Britain’s nuclear deterrent with a new generation of submarines costing up to $40 billion.

From: New York Times

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Block the Builders is calling for an immediate stop to all building work at AWE Aldermaston, until there has been a full public debate on today's White Paper on the future of the UK's nuclear weapons.

While Tony Blair was announcing the "options" for the development of a next generation of nuclear submarines, and promising a parliamentary vote in three months time, contractors were continuing their work on buildings at Aldermaston which are now generally acknowledged to make to the site "fit for the purpose" of building the next generation of nuclear weapons. (More)

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On Monday 4th December 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair published a "White Paper" setting out the options for the replacement of the British Trident nuclear weapons system. The full speech to parliament is reproduced here.

Also on this site, you can find statements from CND, Block the Builders, Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign), and news items from the Guardian and the New York Times.

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