Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Michael Fabricant (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 23 January 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Nuclear Deterrence

Question: I am grateful for that unequivocal answer. Will the Secretary of State confirm that whatever any future deterrent might be—theatre, strategic or tactical—as long as countries such as Iran and North Korea strive for nuclear weapons, the United Kingdom must maintain some form of nuclear deterrent for the defence of the realm?

Answer: Our present deterrent is viable for about 15 to 20 years, so, as we made plain in our manifesto as recently as six months ago, we shall retain the nuclear deterrent for the foreseeable future. We shall do so on the assumption that, as long as anyone else who is a potential enemy has a nuclear weapon, we shall retain ours. That of course will have to be tested in analysis, with a forward look of between 20 and 50 years, if we are looking at a successor to our present system of nuclear deterrence; it is that very assumption that we will test against future threats and insecurities. If that assumption proves correct, the conclusion that the hon. Gentleman drew from it will prove to be correct.

Secondary information