UK's Nuclear Deterrent Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office

UK's Nuclear Deterrent

Patrick Grady Excerpts
Monday 18th July 2016

(8 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Drew Hendry Portrait Drew Hendry
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have lost a wee bit of time, but I will be as quick as I can.

Patrick Grady Portrait Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP)
- Hansard - -

Does my hon. Friend share my concern about the spiralling cost, which is even more difficult to calculate because of the massive fluctuations in the currency market as a result of the Brexit vote?

Drew Hendry Portrait Drew Hendry
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I can only agree with my colleague. I was about to make a point about the vulnerability of the military systems. The Defense Science Board report states:

“The United States cannot be confident that our critical Information Technology (IT) systems will work under attack from a sophisticated and well-resourced opponent utilizing cyber capabilities in combination with all of their military and intelligence capabilities.”

We face the prospect of investing in a military dodo, but the situation is even worse because it can be hacked and used against us, and the Government plan to spend up to £205 billion on it.

I will not vote for Trident renewal tonight, for all of the good reasons that have been laid out, one after another, by my colleagues, but the main reason is that it is an obscenity.