UK must build own nuclear missiles, say Lib Dems

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey is calling on the government to start building a "fully independent British nuclear deterrent" to end the UK's reliance on the US.

The UK has operational control of its nuclear arsenal, including British-built warheads, but it depends on the US to supply and maintain the Trident missiles that would deliver them.

Sir Ed told the BBC: "When we've got presidents in the White House like Donald Trump, totally unreliable, I don't think we can have our nuclear deterrent dependent on the mood at breakfast of the person in the Oval Office."

The government said the UK had a deep and longstanding relationship with the US and played a key part in the security of Nato.

The UK was the third country in the world, after the US and Russia, to develop nuclear bombs, which were initially carried by a fleet of RAF aircraft.

Since the 1960s, the UK has built and maintained a fleet of submarines armed with American-built missiles under a technology-sharing agreement with the US, which are continually at sea.

The prime minister has control over when to fire the missiles, but Britain's nuclear arsenal is part of Nato's defence shield.

Sir Ed set out his argument in a speech to his party's spring conference in York on Sunday, saying the UK's continued reliance on US support is an unacceptable risk to national security.

Sir Ed told the conference: "Britain's nuclear deterrent must be genuinely, verifiably ours – not dependent on Trump or whoever his successor may be. Trump has proven we can't rely on America as a dependable ally.

"As the UK now prepares to replace Trident in the 2040s, we should make the decision now to spend the billions required over the next two decades here in the UK, not in the US.

"Britain has the best scientists, the best engineers, the best builders in the world. So let's get building our own, truly independent nuclear deterrent here in the UK."

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme earlier, Sir Ed added: "If we start now, we can be in a place where we control the missile technology ourselves and spend the billions that that's going to cost not in the United States but here in the UK."

In response a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "Our independent nuclear deterrent protects us every minute of every day and is the ultimate guarantee of our national security."

They added: "As the 2025 Strategic Defence Review made clear, a modernised nuclear deterrent will remain the cornerstone of the UK's defence, and our commitment to Nato and global security."

The Lib Dems have not provided an estimate of the cost of their proposal, which would far exceed the billions being spent on the planned replacement for Trident.

France, the only other European country with nuclear weapons, has always maintained a fully independent system.

The Lib Dems say France's approach proves a sovereign British capability is achievable.

The French missile programme in the 1970s is estimated to have cost about £20 billion in today's money and the party says this cost would be split over two decades.

They argue it could be done in two stages - developing a way to maintain the existing Trident weapons system domestically, and in the longer term manufacturing a fully British-made replacement.

The party has traditionally been split on the issue of Britain's nuclear weapons.

Many in the party have campaigned for multilateral disarmament - something party sources insist they still believe in, while saying they must reflect the reality of the global situation.