British MPs have backed the renewal of the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons system, a move backed by newly appointed Prime Minister Theresa May.
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It is understood 58 of Parliament’s 59 Scottish MPs voted against Trident renewal.
Prime Minister Theresa May told the Commons without hesitation that she would authorise a nuclear strike if necessary and that it would be an “act of gross irresponsibility” to scrap the weapons.
The final vote was expected at 10 pm on Monday, when MPs are expected to vote in favor of renewing Trident, given that Corbyn has given the Parliamentary Labour Party a free vote on the issue.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has been challenged by two candidates seeking to take the helm of the center-left party, is opposed to nuclear weapons as a long-standing anti-war campaigner.
Theresa May said the “very real” threat from Russian Federation and North Korea meant Britain could not afford to “relax our guard”, dismissing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s argument that “mass murder” was the wrong approach to worldwide relations.
A total of 47 Labour members voted against renewal of the nuclear weapons system, while others abstained.
The MPs voted late Monday night 472 to 117 in favour in the House of Commons, the BBC reported.
May, during a first Commons speech since entering Number 10, added the “very real” threat posed by Russian Federation and North Korea meant Britain could not afford to “relax our guard”.
The statement, which was met with shocked exclamations, came in response to Scottish National Party’s George Kerevan challenging question: “Are you prepared to authorize a nuclear strike that could kill hundreds of thousands of men, women and children?”
The Defence Ministry has not published its own cost estimate for the lifetime of the four submarines, but has said it will take up about 6 percent of the annual defense budget.
May’s stance was met by strong criticism from the opposition who said there was no need for a deterrent that is powerful enough to kill thousands of people.
But John Woodcock, the Labour MP for Barrow, where the submarines will be built, told Mrs May it remained “steadfastly” the party’s policy to retain the deterrent and many opposition MPs would “do the right thing”, despite Mr Corbyn’s unilateralist position.
“What is the threat we are facing that a million people’s deaths would actually deter?”.
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This Jan. 20, 2016 file photo shows the Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant, one of four Royal Navy submarines armed with Trident missiles, at HM Naval Base Clyde, also known as Faslane, Scotland.
