MPs' concern over nuclear deterrent

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

The concern comes amid fears that the new, replacement class of missile-carrying submarines will not be completed on time.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee said that the first of the new submarines must be in service by 2024 if the Royal Navy is to maintain its ability to keep one vessel at sea at all times.

However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is trying to cram the design and construction of the submarines - a process that normally takes 18 years - into just 17, despite its long history of delays to major equipment projects.

At the same time, the MoD had to take crucial decisions about the design of the missile compartment before the Americans had finalised a life-extension programme for the submarines' US-built D5 Trident missiles.

Despite assurances given by former US President George Bush to then prime minister Tony Blair that "close co-ordination" between the two countries would be maintained, the committee warned there was a "significant risk" that the updated missiles could be "incompatible" with the new submarines.

"Any form of dislocation or delay in this collaboration process would have serious ramifications for the department's ability to support a nuclear deterrent over the long-run," the committee said.

The 2024 completion date for the first of the new submarines is crucial as by that time two of the existing four Vanguard class vessels will have been taken out of service. The Navy needs at least three nuclear missile submarines if it is to maintain its cycle of continuous-at-sea patrols which are the basis of the UK deterrent.

In the meantime, the MoD has just six months to decide on a nuclear reactor for the vessels. The choice lies between selecting an existing model - which will need updating to avoid obsolescence - or to go for a new, more efficient design which will add to the risks of overall delays to the programme.

The committee said that the MoD now faced a "difficult judgment" in deciding how much "options analysis" work to undertake before settling on the submarines' key design features. "The Ministry of Defence's ability to maintain continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrence from 2024 is open to doubt," committee chairman Edward Leigh said.