Call for clarity on future of Trident

The "Initial Gate" of the Trident Replacement programme was scheduled for September 2009. This is the point when the MoD will decide whether to proceed with the initial design work for a new submarine. On 13 July the Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth told the House of Commons that this Initial Gate decision would be made "later this year".

• Posted on Jul 19, 2009

On the 17 July several newspapers reported that a government spokesperson said the Initial Gate would be postponed until 2010. The decision would be put back until after the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Conference (May 2010) and probably beyond the General Election.

However the BBC are quoting an MoD spokesperson as saying that the timetable was unchanged.

Alan Mackinnon, Chair of Scottish CND, said:
"Gordon Brown should end the confusion over Trident Replacement. As a first step the Prime Minister should confirm that the Initial Gate for the project has been postponed until 2010. It would be even better if he recovered his lost moral compass and decided to cancel Trident and its replacement altogether."

BACKGROUND
Reports of delay:
www.reuters.com/article/usDollarRpt/idUSLG29085320090716
www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/17/defence-nuclear-weapons
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5844275/Gordon-Brown-delays-Trident-work.html

BBC report denying delay: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8155447.stm

160 MPs from all the main parties have signed Early Day Motion 660 calling for the Initial Gate decision to be delayed.

On 16 July 30 MPs sent a letter to the Prime Minister making the same point

Scottish CND www.banthebomb.org

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