World Vision chief executive Charles Badenoch has delivered an embarrassing public rebuke to MPs, including the chair of Christians in Parliament, and said that MPs could have taken moral leadership when it made its decision on Trident.

Greenpeace activists have scaled a crane next to the House of Parliament and hung a huge banner from it declaring 'TONY loves WMD'.

The leaders of the main Christian denominations have written a joint letter to MPs urging them to reject the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons system - branding such a move 'immoral'.

The Catholic Bishop of Lancaster has said the UK government is fuelling the development of nuclear weapons around the world.

Ahead of Wednesday's vote in the UK parliament on the government's plan to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has written to WCC member churches in the country praising and expressing support for their efforts to stop this.

The government is facing the prospect of resignations and a major backbench rebellion this week over its plans to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system.