Return to: Home

Osborne says Trident costs must come out of MoD budget

Published 30 July 2010

Chancellor says £20 billion cost must come out of defence budget

A Trident submarine at Faslane naval base in Scotland

Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the Ministry of Defence will have to find the funds to finance the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent.

The cost of renewing the sytem has been put at around £20 billion. In the past the Treasury would have been expected to foot the bill for this sort of expenditure.

The move appears to put him on a collision course with Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who has said that it will be 'very difficult;' for the MoD to maintain its other projects if it also has to pay for Trident.

Fox also stressed that with the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, and the possibility of other states following suit, the UK needs to maintain its nuclear deterrent.

Get the full magazine for just £1 a week with a trial subscription. PLUS get a free copy of Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of dessent by Laurie Penny

Post this article to

2 comments from readers

Chris
31 July 2010 at 23:34

"Fox also stressed that with the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, and the possibility of other states following suit, the UK needs to maintain its nuclear deterrent."

LOL, why?

James
03 August 2010 at 22:49

We do not need nuclear weapons! I know this has been said a million zillion times in the past, but the current threat context is non-state actors, not states. If Iran does get the bomb, there is nothing we can do except deter them. To do this we will only need 3 missiles, not 125! We aren't playing against the Soviets this time round! It's one poxy state the size of Texas!

"The cost of renewing the sytem has been put at around £20 billion."

Also, the system the Iranians 'might' have will be years and years behind us in regard to technology. Iran will have France, India, Russia (maybe) the UK AND THE US! pointing missiles at it. Let's be real now. We (the UK) do no need these weapons

£20 billion would really help us to close the deficit!