UK Nuclear Deterrent Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

UK Nuclear Deterrent

Nusrat Ghani Excerpts
Monday 2nd June 2025

(4 days, 21 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Luke Pollard Portrait Luke Pollard
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Yes, I can. The Defence Secretary is open to those conversations, though there may still be a difference of opinion about the best way of scrutinising some of our most sensitive matters. I encourage my hon. Friend to continue her conversations with him.

Nusrat Ghani Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
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I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Helen Maguire Portrait Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) (LD)
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We face a once-in-a-generation set of threats, including an imperialist Putin and a completely unreliable President Trump, who we cannot depend on to support our defence. Our nuclear deterrent remains the best and ultimate guarantor of the UK’s security. We must ensure that it meets the scale of those challenges, so it is right that the Government should look at ways to guarantee its effectiveness. Delivering the Dreadnought class on time is crucial to that, and I welcome the update that the Secretary of State provided before the recess on those timescales. Looking ahead, it is important that the House understands the purpose of any future addition to our nuclear deterrent, so will the Minister outline what discussions his Department has had on how further additions to the deterrent would positively bolster the UK’s security?