Christian allegations about secret nuclear weapons substantiated
-12/03/06
The allegation by Christians and others that the British government is actively planning to develop and deploy another generation of British nuclear weapons after the existing Trident submarine system is decommissioned have been substantiated this weekend.
The Sunday Times reports that Britain has been secretly designing a new nuclear warhead in conjunction with the Americans.
As reported by Ekklesia, the news comes just two weeks after demonstrations by Christians outside the Ministry of Defence in London [0] alleging that the Government was developing a new generation of nuclear weapons.
Reports suggest that the government has been pushing ahead with the programme while claiming that no decision has been made on a successor to Britainís Trident nuclear deterrent.
Before last year's general election British church leaders wrote an open letter [1] urging that the next Government spell out the conditions under which it might forego a replacement of Trident.
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Since the general election the Methodist church in particular has been amongst those calling for an open public debate about a replacement for Trident [2].
The Prime Minister has continually insisted that no decision has been made.
But work on a new weapon by scientists at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire has apparently been under way since Tony Blair was re-elected last May, and is now said to be ahead of similar US research.
The aim is to produce a simpler device using proven components to avoid breaching the ban on nuclear testing. Known as the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW), it is being designed so that it can be tested in a laboratory rather than by detonation.
ìWeíve got to build something that we can never test and be absolutely confident that, when we use it, it will work,î one senior British source said last week.
The secret programme to build a new warhead in close co-operation with the Americans is estimated to have cost nearly £10 billion.
Developing a new weapon would also, according to expert advice from Cherie Boothís Matrix chambers, be a material breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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[1] http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_05053nuc.shtml
[2] http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_05083trident.shtml
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