The government is set to make the much delayed announcement on its proposals to buy replacement Trident nuclear weapon submarines this week, according to a report in the Observer.
The decision, originally scheduled for Autumn 2009, has been repeatedly delayed as a result of difficulties in making a decision on the type of nuclear reactor which will power the new submarines. According to the Observer, the government has decided to opt for the latest state of the art reactor design. Although safer than the Navy's current reactor design, which lacks important safety features, development of a new reactor is expected to add billions of pounds to the costs of the Trident replacement prgramme.
The announcement will be a big opportunity to put the costs of Trident replacement under the spotlight and ask exactly why we need to spend this money at a time when big cuts are being made in essential public services.
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