British parliament votes to renew UK's continuous at sea nuclear deterrent

: Posted On Tuesday, 19 July 2016 09:12

Naval Forces News - UK

British parliament votes to renew UK's continuous at sea nuclear deterrent

The House of Commons has backed the renewal of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system by 472 votes to 117. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon welcomes decision to renew the UK's continuous at sea deterrent.

The first ever image to be released of the Successor submarine
Image: BAE Systems

MPs on all sides have voted by an overwhelming margin, to renew our nuclear deterrent - the ultimate guarantee of our national security.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: We have voted to protect our nation from the most serious threats we may face in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s. The British Parliament has sent a powerful message to our allies that Britain is stepping up its international commitments, not stepping back from them. We will now get on with building the next generation of nuclear submarines to help keep the nation, and our allies, safe for decades to come.

HMS Vanguard, head of Vanguard class SSBN, the current class of Royal Navy SSBN
set to be replaced around 2024 by a new class
(Picture: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)

Four Vanguard submarines – which currently maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent - will be replaced from the early 2030s.

Following the UK Government’s announcement in May 2011 that the programme had passed its Initial Gate, it is now well into its design and development phase, during which the submarine’s concept design and operational requirements are being matured into a detailed design.