Anti-nuclear campaigners have condemned the announcement of an extra £600 million for the Dreadnought submarine programme, part of the government scheme to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system.
The extra funding, which will be made by the Treasury to the Ministry of Defence, was announced in today’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“Spending on Trident is out of control – another £600 million announced today. This means the Ministry of Defence is already overspending at this early stage of replacing Britain’s nuclear weapons system, which is why the contingency fund is now being eaten into.
“It’s a further example of the lack of transparency on Trident spending, the full costs of which the government never admits to. Our calculations, using government figures in the public domain, show that Trident replacement will cost more than £205 billion over the lifetime of the scheme, yet you will never hear the government admit to these full costs.
“Theresa May announced the £600 million today as though it were positive news, but it represents more millions that could have been spent on schools, hospitals and building new homes.”