The UK’s nuclear deterrent “remains effective, dependable and formidable” – despite a Trident missile misfiring during a recent test and crashing into the ocean in Florida, the government has said.
“Nor are there any implications for our ability to fire our nuclear weapons, should the circumstances arise in which we need to do so,” Mr Shapps said.
His statement added: “The Trident missile system remains the most reliable weapons system in the world, having successfully completed more than 190 tests.”
Mr Shapps said the government had “absolute confidence” in the UK’s nuclear deterrent – and that there were “no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpiles”.
He went on to warn: “The UK’s resolve and capability to use its nuclear weapons, should we ever need to do so, remains beyond doubt.”
The fault had something to do with it being a test-firing, with a source saying that the launch would have been successful had it been carried out for real with a nuclear warhead.
The Sun newspaper first revealed the drama, saying Mr Shapps had been onboard the submerged submarine at the time.
The UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines have one core mission – to maintain a continuous ability to launch a strike at any moment upon the order of the prime minister, without failure.
Any suggestion of vulnerability with one of the boats, the Trident missiles or their nuclear warheads undermines the protective blanket that this multiple-times-of-multiple-billions-of-pounds insurance policy is meant to provide to the UK and its NATO allies.
It is why confirmation of an “anomaly” in the test-firing of a US-made Trident II missile by a Vanguard-class submarine off the coast of Florida is more than just an embarrassing blow.
It is the second Trident missile failure in a row for the Royal Navy‘s ageing nuclear weapons fleet after a problem with another test-firing in 2016, when a missile flew in the wrong direction.
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The UK has four nuclear-armed submarines. The country’s nuclear deterrent requires at least one of them to be continuously at sea to deter nuclear threats from enemies such as Russia and to be ready to respond should the worst happen and the UK or its allies face a nuclear attack.
Mr Shapps said a routine “Demonstration and Shakedown Operation” had been held, which is when a ballistic missile submarine completes scheduled deep maintenance.
A series of weapons and sub-system tests are performed to assess the submarine and crew – and this culminates in the firing of an unarmed Trident II D5 missile.
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‘Complete confidence’ in Trident
While details surrounding submarine operations are not normally disclosed, Mr Shapps said his statement was in recognition “of the level of interest” in what happened, all while protecting national security.
He added there was continued investment in the next generation of ballistic submarines, extending the lifespan of Trident missiles and replacing warheads.
“Sustaining the deterrent and renewing it for the future is a truly national endeavour,” Mr Shapps said – describing it as “the ultimate security insurance policy”.
On 30 January, first-stage boosters did not ignite and the 60-tonne missile – fitted with dummy warheads – splashed into the Atlantic Ocean and sank.
A source told The Sun: “It left the submarine but it just went plop, right next to them.”
A search was immediately initiated to recover the highly sensitive munition.
HMS Vanguard, which has just completed a £500m overhaul, was undergoing a final round of tests before it returns to nuclear patrols.
Google Cloud recently launched a Web3 portal with testnet tools, blockchain datasets, and learning resources for developers, receiving mixed reactions from the crypto industry.
Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out holding a general election in July, as speculation remains rife over the timing of the national vote.
The prime minister has repeatedly said his “working assumption” is the election would take place in the second half of this year – with the law stating January 2025 is the latest he could call it.
But while many commentators have predicted an autumn vote, Sky News’ Trevor Phillips put to Mr Sunak that it could mean as early as July.
In his interview – which will air in full on Sunday at 8.30am – Trevor Phillips pushed Mr Sunak five times over whether he would rule out a July general election, but the Conservative leader refused to confirm or deny if it could take place then.
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“You’re going to try and draw whatever conclusion you want from what I say,” he said. “I’m going to always try and say the same thing. You should just listen to what I said, [the] same thing I’ve said all year.
“But the point is… there’s a choice when it comes to the general election. And look, over the past week or so… the country can have a very clear sense of what that difference is going to look like.”
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“And when the election comes, there’ll be a clear choice, because the Labour Party has tried to frustrate our Rwanda bill, because they don’t believe in stopping the boats, their economic plan will put people’s taxes up.
“They haven’t said that they will invest more in our defence and they certainly don’t agree with reforming our welfare system to support people into work.”
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Labour has said it wants to match the hike in defence spending when the financial circumstances allow, and has promised to scrap the Rwanda bill if it gets into power.
This week, its pre-election focus has been on railways, promising to renationalise train operators and “sweep away” the current “broken” model if the party wins the next election.