Sir Menzies speech secures Trident vote
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has won a vote on the future of the Trident nuclear weapons system after he made an unexpected speech to party members.
Sir Menzies spoke out in favour of deferring a decision regarding replacing the UK’s nuclear deterrent until 2014, and subsequently won the vote by 454 votes to 414.
At the party’s spring conference the leader also confirmed his belief that Trident stocks should be halved immediately.
The issue had divided activists, many of whom wanted a firm decision to scrap Trident when the current stock’s operational life ends in 2024. An original show of hands at the conference was so close that officials were unable to calculate the results.
Sir Menzies had earlier moved to end fears that he would be open to the prime minister’s planned proposals to replace the submarine-based system. The Lib Dems would not “fall into [Tony] Blair’s trap under any circumstances”, he insisted.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper this weekend, Sir Menzies reaffirmed his commitment to an anti-nuclear stance but cautioned against an immediate abandonment of the system.
“Unilateral renunciation gives you no leverage when it comes to arguing for reductions elsewhere,” he told the paper.
However, opponents rejected Sir Menzies’ claims that an immediate rejection of all arguments for renewal would leave the UK in a poor bargaining position in future.
“Postponing a decision sends out a clear signal, that our party is prepared to support new improved weapons of mass destruction some time in the future. Is that what this conference wants?” MP Phil Willis asked delegates.
“If the Liberal Democrats are to be relevant, we must be prepared to be different,” the former frontbench spokesman added.
