Oral Answers to Questions

Oliver Colvile Excerpts

Monday 2nd September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Con)]

2. What assessment he has made of the cost and credibility of a nuclear deterrent based on a cruise missile system.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Philip Hammond)]

A range of cruise missile-based systems were examined as part of the recent Trident alternatives review. The evidence showed that any cruise missile option was more vulnerable and had significantly reduced reach compared with a Trident-based deterrent. Additionally, it would be more costly, requiring the design and development of a new warhead, as well as a new missile.

[Oliver Colvile]

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend, but will he give me a commitment that in any future negotiations with our coalition partners after the next general election, if by some misfortune no single party should gain an outright majority, our party would retain a continuous-at-sea deterrent with four nuclear submarines?

[Mr Hammond]

The Government’s position is that we will maintain continuous-at-sea deterrence, and to do that we are preparing to go ahead at the main-gate decision in 2016 with the delivery of replacement submarines. I fear I would be straying beyond my remit if I were to speculate on negotiations that may or may not take place after the next election.