The Liberal Democrat commitment to maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent has been welcomed by Dr Jonathan Wallace, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Blaydon.
The Liberal Democrat plans would end the current system of continuous-at-sea deterrence by employing a number of new measures, such as gaps in patrols and irregular patrolling patterns.
Such an approach would maintain the ability to surge to more frequent armed patrols, or drop down to a low-readiness posture if the security situation allows.
Dr Wallace’s backing for the policy followed confusing remarks by Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn about Labour’s policy, which differs from his personal position of being opposed to Britain’s independent deterrent. Mr Corbyn has made clear that if he were Prime Minister, he would never press the nuclear button.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said, “Our nuclear deterrent keeps us at the top table in this Post-Brexit world. All this means that Jeremy Corbyn is unfit to be Prime Minister – he is a rare combination of being both weak and dangerous.
“If you say that you would never press the button, as Jeremy Corbyn seems to have suggested, that makes a mockery of having a deterrent or indeed sound defences.”
Dr Wallace said, “Liberal Democrats are strong internationalists. We are committed to NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. We believe that our safety and security as a country is best achieved through co-operating with the UK’s allies.
“That is why we are committed to maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent, because there is nothing to gain from walking away from the table and turning our back on those who rely on our protection.
"Our long term goal will always be a nuclear-free world, and we must use the UK's position to lead international efforts towards multilateral disarmament.”
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