IV. Take a decision on the future of the UK’s nuclear warheads in the next parliament.

V. Begin immediately the procurement of a new class of submarine to replace the four Vanguard class submarines, extending the life of the Vanguard class by five years if necessary.

VI. Take a decision on the number of new submarines required at a later date.
Conference:

i) Reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment of seeking to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons and recalls Liberal Democrat policy on Britain’s nuclear weapons, as set out in Defending Democracy (2002) and the General Election Manifesto 2005, The Real Alternative, that ‘we would retain the UK’s current minimum nuclear deterrent for the foreseeable future, until sufficient progress has been made towards the global elimination of such weapons’.

ii) Pledges the party to do all in its power to ensure that Britain abides by its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and in particular in making more effective the review conferences on the NPT.

iii) Urges all nuclear weapons states, whether party to the NPT or not, to engage through negotiation and through independent actions in a process of nuclear disarmament; in particular it urges those states that have yet to do so, including India, Pakistan, China, and the United States, to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) so that it can enter into force.

iv) Considers that none of the world’s current nuclear weapons states poses a present threat to the UK and that nuclear weapons provide no defence or deterrent against terrorism.

v) Recognises the medium- and long-term possibility that new threats could arise to the United Kingdom as a result of global or regional instability and conflict caused by factors such as competition for resources, particularly energy, the effects of climate change, failing states, aggressive or oppressive regimes, social and economic marginalisation and the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons, expertise and materials.

vi) Observes with serious concern the nuclear weapons test undertaken by the Government of North Korea and the continuing enrichment of uranium by the Government of Iran in contravention of Security Council Resolution 1696 and urges these states to cease these programmes.

vii) Particularly recognises the danger over the next decade of the proliferation of states possessing nuclear weapons and the pressure this would place on other regional powers to consider acquiring nuclear weapons themselves, including the possibility of one or more of such states posing a threat to Britain, its neighbours and allies.

viii) Considers that a decision by Britain to renounce its nuclear weapons capability can be taken at any time, while recognising that the timing of such a decision has financial implications, and would be, in practice, very difficult to reverse.

Conference therefore:

A. Believes that in the light of such circumstances it would be unwise at present for Britain to renounce its nuclear weapons but that in the current situation Britain no longer needs the size of deterrent that the present Trident system represents.

B. Notes the House of Commons Defence Committee 2006 report, The Future of the UK’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent, which concludes that with a programme to extend the life of the four Vanguard class submarines no binding decision needs to be made on a replacement for Trident at this time.

C. Recognises that on current planning assumptions, the most cost-effective replacement system to provide the UK with a minimum deterrent would be a submarine system based on the Trident missile reduced to three boats.

D. Further believes that such a significant reduction to Britain’s nuclear arsenal would:

i) Send a strong signal to non-nuclear weapons states that Britain continues to meet its obligations under the NPT.

ii) Provide cost savings that could be used for other defence purposes.
Conference therefore resolves that:

a) Britain should now begin a major reduction of its nuclear arsenal by approximately 50%, retaining no more than 100 warheads; with each Trident submarine carrying no more than 24 warheads when on deterrence patrol.

b) The current Trident nuclear system should be maintained and its operational life extended.

c) A final decision on whether, and if so how, to procure any successor system be taken at the point when the significant capital spending would begin to be incurred on a three-boat replacement.

Conference therefore calls on the Government to follow this course in order that a final decision on the manufacture of a successor to the Vanguard class submarines be taken in 2014. Such a policy would allow:

1. The reduction of Britain’s nuclear capacity by 50% to reinvigorate the multilateral disarmament process.

2. A clearer picture to develop concerning the proliferation of states that possess nuclear weapons and their ability to directly threaten Britain, its neighbours and allies.

3. Further consideration of the alternatives available based on a reduced minimum deterrent, including investigating co-operating more closely on the procurement and deployment of nuclear systems with NATO and European allies subject to the constraints on such cooperation imposed by Article I of the NPT.

4. Priority to be given to increasing the support for UK conventional armed forces at home and abroad.