Trident submarine deal delayed

Richard Norton-Taylor, in today's Guardian, reports that government officials have announced that: "The design contract for a new generation of Trident nuclear missile submarines, due to have been signed in September, has been put off".
 
The Government decision delays the 'Initial Gate' contract on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons submarines, pending the outcome of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in May 2010.

Previously, the Government planned to move on to the next stage of the replacement process during the Parliamentary recess in September.
 
According to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, prior to the announcement, over 30 MPs had written to the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary demanding a delay to the Initial Gate.
 
They called for Parliament to have further discussions on Trident replacement before such a major spending commitment is given.
 
The Initial Gate decision, which would allow detailed design work to commence, is estimated to commit £2-3bn.
 
The procurement costs for the new submarines are likely to be in the order of £25bn, with total costs of £76bn for the project when running costs are included.
 
 
 
Picture credit: John Bouvia