CND has urged MPs to vote against Trident replacement in today’s landmark debate in Parliament.
The motion – That this house believes that Trident should not be renewed – was secured by the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party. The vote is to take place around 7pm.
The Parliament elected in the general election in May will take the final vote on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system in 2016. Today’s non-binding motion will show the voting intention of MPs ahead of the election, where Trident is set to be a major issue.
CND’s General Secretary Kate Hudson said:
‘At a cost of more than £100bn, it’s no surprise that Trident is set to play a huge part in the general election in May. The public rightly wants to know where parliamentary candidates stand. If an MP thinks we should squander billions on this redundant white elephant, while the NHS is facing a funding crisis, then so be it, but they should be clear about it now and face the consequences come election time.
‘The rapid growth of anti-Trident parties represents a sea-change in British politics. People are fed up with Westminster’s business-as-usual: and no more so than government plans to waste scarce public resources to replace Britain’s Cold War nuclear weapons system.
‘Many MPs agree that Trident is strategically redundant, politically irresponsible and economically disastrous. Today they should put on record that they believe Trident is an anachronism which should finally be laid to rest.’
Notes to Editors:
Over 6,000 emails were sent to MPs in under 24 hours – through CND’s website – urging them to oppose Trident replacement in the debate.
A Survation poll, commissioned by the SNP, today showed 60% of Scots oppose Trident replacement.