Trident: Could nuclear weapons be heading to Pembrokeshire

MILFORD HAVEN PORT AUTHORITY says that it has not yet been approached regarding the relocation of the British nuclear submarine base NMNB Clyde, after rumours resurfaced in the newspapers this week.

The national press is reporting that defence officials have secretly started examining plans to move Britain’s nuclear-armed submarines from Faslane in Scotland to Wales, but the Chief Executive of the port, Alec Don, told The Herald on Wednesday (Jan 28): “We have not yet been approached by any authority in relation to this.”

Stephen Crabb MP said: “I’ve been to Faslane and seen for myself the thousands of high quality jobs provided at the base. At a time when Pembrokeshire has recently lost a major employer, stories like this will sound appealing to some. But the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence are absolutely clear that there are no plans to move the Trident base from Scotland. Such an operation would cost billions of pounds and is not on the table.”

The Scottish Daily Mail has reported on its front page that it’s ‘well-placed source’ said political leaders in Wales were keen for the Ministry of Defence to ‘look at Welsh sites’, including Milford Haven.

The national press is reporting that there are many obstacles to trident coming to Milford Haven aside from the cost, including safety with the LNG terminals. If moving Trident to Milford Haven becomes a necessity, and if the UK Government were to offer Cardiff a good funding package as a sweetener, then it could just be possible, it is being reported.

Scottish Daily Mail on Jan 28

Plaid Cymru has responded to reports that the Ministry of Defence is exploring options for relocating Trident to Wales.

A Plaid spokesperson told The Herald: “Plaid Cymru’s opposition to Trident is longstanding and unconditional. Only last week we held a Commons debate calling for Trident renewal to be scrapped and for the estimated £100bn cost of the system over its lifetime to be diverted to fund vital public services.

The spokesman added: “Talk of the Ministry of Defence making plans to relocate Trident to Wales comes as extremely worrying news. Our nation is not a dumping ground for weapons of mass destruction. We will be taking immediate action to secure clarity on the matter and hope that all parties in Wales will join us in doing the same.”

Frances Bryant, Green Party candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire told us: “I do not believe the people of Pembrokeshire, and especially Milford Haven, would welcome this dangerous technology in their midst, any more than the people of London or Westminster would welcome it on the Thames.

She added: “As far as the Green Party is concerned we would relocate it to the scrap heap. It is ridiculously expensive,and of no real military value . We think that the 100 billion pounds  that this system is projected to cost in its lifetime would be better spent on education, the NHS and other vital social infrastructure.
She concluded: “Jobs in Milford Haven could instead be created and sustained by the fabrication of renewable energy systems which require a well trained and skilled workforce already in place in that location.”

Green Party spokesperson Pippa Bartolotti said: “This is a missile system which costs the people of Britain £5707 a minute, which could kill 320 million people and the £100billion pounds it costs could fund our A and E services for 40 Years. If this money was invested in our green and social infrastructure it would create 2,000,000 jobs.”

She added: “No responsible government will ever use this weapon of mass destruction, but we must be minded that the Trident system is dependent on software, and cyber warfare is the new front line. There is a real and frightening possibility that this software could be hacked by small terrorist cells. No words can describe the anguish of a nuclear strike. Greens call for the abandonment of all nuclear weapons worldwide, and the nuclear power plants which feed them the weapons grade material. The cold war is over, and enough destruction is taking place in terms of pollution and species extinction without the added threat of nuclear warfare. Greens move forward in a more hopeful setting, where empty threats are replaced with solid policies which work for the common good of humanity.”

Cllr Paul Miller said: “Clearly if there were proposals on the table for Trident to be based in Milford Haven there would have be a conversation to be had with people of Pembrokeshire. Our community is desperate for jobs but that would clearly need to be balanced against whatever potential proposal might or might not come forward.”

The Labour candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire added: “The SNP lost the Independence referendum and aren’t in a position to dictate to the rest of the UK. I’m not sure if this proposal will come to light. If it does, I’ll be on the frontline getting the best for the people of Pembrokeshire.”

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “We declared the county a nuclear-free zone in 1998 and this policy still stands. This decision was taken following an announcement by the then owners of the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Trecwn – Omega Pacific Limited – to utilise the site as a nuclear waste storage facility.”

“This sparked great consternation in Pembrokeshire and it was in the light of this concern that the Authority adopted its nuclear-free policy.”

This week, Comedian Russell Brand has been invited to face shipyard workers after saying the Trident replacement programme they are working on should be scrapped. He posted a video online saying too much money was spent on defence and it should go to the NHS instead. But Barrow Labour MP John Woodcock said he would rather be protected by a nuclear deterrent than an “eccentric comedian”.

What is Trident?

THE UK Trident Programme deals with the attaining, operating and developing British nuclear weapons. Trident itself is a structure of four submarines armed with ballistic missiles, which delivers multiple thermonuclear warheads, more commonly known as hydrogen bombs. It is currently the British military forces’ most powerful and expensive weapon.

Although patrols began in 1994, the Trident programme was first initiated in July 1980, during a period of immense tension in the Cold War. It was regarded that there was a threat coming from the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. The tridents were built with a twenty-five-year life expectancy, but are expected to continue into 2042 following an upgrade.

Since 1998, Trident is the only nuclear service in Britain and is currently situated at the Clyde Naval Base in Scotland. At least one submarine is always on patrol as a preventative measure of nuclear war.

Trident has been said to be the best way of ensuring peace and deterring an aggressor. Every British government since 1945 has seen the necessity of nuclear weapons. Yet, it is a very expensive programme and nuclear weapons are seen to be immoral. Britain could set an example through disarmament. Countries such as Spain, Australia, Canada and Germany do not have nuclear weapons and they still have global influence.