The design contract for a new generation of Trident nuclear missile submarines, due to have been signed in September, has been put off, government officials revealed last night.
A Royal Navy Trident nuclear submarine. Photograph: Corbis
The decision marks a U-turn by ministers, who have insisted there could be no delay in the timetable. They have now agreed that any contract to design and build new Trident submarines will be delayed until an international conference reviewing the non-proliferation treaty in New York next year.
Pressure is growing for the government to abandon its plans to replace the existing Trident system, which could cost well over £70bn and would be redundant in the view of many military analysts.
There is also opposition to a new Trident system among defence chiefs faced with increasing pressure on their budget. The "profile of expenditure" on a new system will now be delayed until 2010.
However, officials insisted last night that ministers had not changed their minds about replacing the existing system with nuclear missile submarines, as outlined in 2006.
Officials revealed the decision to postpone the "initial gate" design contract as the Cabinet Office published The Road to 2010, described as "a phased approach that will enable progress on non-proliferation and multilateral disarmament".
In the Commons, Gordon Brown announced a £20m "centre of excellence" to help develop civil nuclear technology which would be diverted to military use.
He told MPs the UK was committed to the reduction and "eventual elimination" of nuclear weapons.
guardian
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