Trident Alternatives Review to propose 'stepping down the nuclear ladder'

Former armed forces minister Nick Harvey has been speaking about nuclear weapons at the Liberal Democrat party conference.  Mr Harvey was the minister responsible for the government's Trident Alternatives Review, and his speech gave some hints about current thinking in the Ministry of Defence on replacing Trident.   The military are very worried about the enormous costs of a programme to build another Cold War weapon that bears no relevance to current needs, and the Review is considering a 'step down the nuclear ladder' for the UK.  The next couple of years and the 2015 general election will be crucial in winning the debate over nuclear weapons.