The House of Commons voted 472 in favour and 117 against the renewal of the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons system.
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As the new PM laid out the case for renewing Trident in the Commons, she was asked by SNP MP George Kerevan (East Lothian): “Can we cut to the chase?”
The question brought an unequivocal response.
The head of the GMB trade union, Tim Roache, also insisted Mr Corbyn should abide by existing Labour Party policy to back Trident renewal.
The fleet will be replaced over the next 35 years at an estimated initial cost of £35 billion (41 billion euros, $46 billion).
May promised to press the button and launch U.K.’s Trident missiles against the enemy in a parliamentary debate in favor of spending an excess of 30 billion pounds ($40 billion) to renew the nuclear deterrent.
May said “the nuclear threat has not gone away; if anything, it has increased”, with a newly assertive Russian Federation and a desire from countries including North Korea to acquire nuclear weapons in defiance of the worldwide community.
Corbyn gave Labour lawmakers a free vote on the issue, and more than half the party’s 230 legislators voted to keep the nuclear program to protect thousands of unionized defense jobs.
A total of 47 Labour MPs voted against renewal, while others abstained.
The £40bn construction of a new fleet, Successor, could begin this year and be operational by 2028 while the current fleet will be phased out by 2032.
“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we have an important role to play in global security and our membership of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is committed to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation”.
But in a recent policy statement, the SNP said nuclear weapons were “immoral, ineffective and expensive”.
“The people of Scotland have shown repeatedly, clearly and consistently that we are opposed to the renewal of nuclear weapons”, Mr Robertson said.
Jamie Reed, Labour MP for Copeland branded Mr Corbyn’s opposition “juvenile” and “narcissistic” and said shadow cabinet members who voted against Trident should resign and return to the backbenches because they would be voting against Labour Party policy.
Mr Corbyn was set to go against the Government’s motion on maintaining the UK’s round the clock nuclear capability by replacing the four ageing Vanguard submarines that carry the Trident missiles.
A Teesside Labour MP has said he will vote to renew the Trident nuclear weapons programme – despite the leader of the party arguing against it.
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Concluding the session, Defence Minister Fallon said Trident had helped protect the United Kingdom for more than 50 years and to disown it now would be to “gamble the long-term security of our citizens”.
