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Critics slam Tories’ plans to replace nuclear-armed submarines

Monday, 26 October 2015 7:18 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 26 October 2015 7:19 PM ]

An AFP photo shows anti-nuclear protesters gathering in central London on January 24, 2015, calling on the government to abandon the Trident nuclear missile program.

As the Britons struggle with tough austerity measures, the Tory government insists on going ahead with plans to maintain and replace the country’s nuclear submarines.

The total replacement and maintenance of the nuclear-armed Trident submarines is expected to cost the British tax payers some 167 billion pounds, which is far beyond earlier calculations.

Some observers believe the costly plan is kind of “indefensible” at a time when Britons are reeling from the government’s austerity policy.

“We are having austerity measures in place in the United Kingdom which means that a lot of public sector workers are on their daily bills and they haven’t had pay rise for some time, for few years. We are kind of worried about this project,” London-based political commentator Shahid Qureshi told Press TV’s UK Desk on Monday.

Some other critics say the huge sum would be better spent on maintaining the army and on more conventional technology.

Back in September, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn emphasized that Britain should get rid of its "weapon of mass destruction" and scrap what is known in the country as the Trident program.

He wanted to push through a motion calling for the Labour to abandon its commitment to the program.

The UK has been a nuclear power since the 1950s, and both Labour and Conservative governments have consistently supported atomic weapons. Since the 1990s, Britain's nuclear arsenal has consisted of four Royal Navy submarines armed with Trident missiles.

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