Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is set to call for a fully independent UK nuclear deterrent, arguing that Britain can no longer rely on the United States under President Donald Trump. In a speech at the party's spring conference in York, Davey will say that the UK should manufacture and maintain its nuclear weapons domestically, a move he acknowledges will cost billions.
Davey will argue that the current Trident programme, based at Faslane in Scotland, is heavily dependent on US support. The missiles are manufactured in the US and must be returned there for maintenance. 'If the answer to 'Is our nuclear deterrent working?' depends on what Donald Trump had for breakfast, then the answer is, 'No, it's not',' Davey is expected to say.
The Lib Dem leader will cite Trump's threats to annex Greenland and his approach to the war in Ukraine as evidence of unreliability. 'While Trump is in charge, we certainly cannot rely on America as a dependable ally,' Davey will say, adding that the UK cannot bet its security on the hope that future US leaders will be different.
Davey will concede that building a sovereign nuclear capability would 'cost billions over the next two decades' at a time when defence spending is under pressure. However, he will argue that this money should be invested in British science and manufacturing rather than 'handing billions of taxpayers' hard-earned cash to the American defence and technology industry'.
The speech is seen as part of the Liberal Democrats' 'Operation Epsom Fury' strategy to attract voters disillusioned with the UK's relationship with Trump ahead of May's local elections. Davey will reaffirm the party's commitment to multilateral nuclear disarmament but stress the need to deal with the current reality of Putin's nuclear stockpile and an unpredictable US president.
