Downing Street Says » Trident missile system

Asked to characterise the discussion at Cabinet earlier today, Mr Straw said that it had been a thorough and constructive initial debate. He added that there had been a very substantial consensus. In response to further questions, the Leader said that the process was pretty clear: there would be a White Paper to be followed, in due course, by a debate and vote on a proposition from the Government. He added that the current process was more thorough than had happened before.

To questions, he said that the vote would not be on a "take-it-or-leave-it" basis. The vote was: Government proposing and House of Commons disposing, in the way that democratic functions were split. As he had indicated earlier during Business Questions, he said that, on the so-called issue of options, it was open to any Member of the House, once they had seen the Government’s motion, to put down an amendment. It was then a matter for the Speaker whether any amendment was called. The Leader said that much of the argument, in any event, was: should Trident be renewed or should it not, which was pretty straightforward.

Pressed further, Mr Straw said it was open to others, if they wished to coalesce around another option, to identify it and then to table it as an amendment. The option existed anyway. What Ministers were doing was their duty in a democratic government to propose a recommendation to the House of Commons and then for the Commons to dispose of it.

The Leader declined to go into further detail of the Cabinet discussion which, he said, had not been completed. In any event, it was a matter for Des Browne to make any announcement. Questioned about the wishes of Government backbenchers about the nature of the debate, the Leader said that there was plenty of debate on the issue at present. He pointed out that the problem was whether there was a proposition and individuals argued about it or whether there was a range of proposals. The course of the White Paper, which was true for any White Paper, would explain why various options were found unacceptable and one was found to be acceptable.

It was the responsibility of Government, above all on the issue of the nation’s defence, to come to a conclusion, he said. It was not similar to the issue of shop hours on a Sunday, which famously was a backbench issue. It was about the defence of the country and its people, and its future over many decades. Ministers had a responsibility "not to cop out of this" and come to a decision. In due course, and it was hoped before Christmas, the Government would do so.

Questioned about his use of the term "very substantial" consensus, the Leader made it clear that there was a consensus. Mr Straw said the Government’s manifesto spoke for itself; he did not wish to pre-empt the Cabinet’s conclusions. The manifesto pointed in a particular direction and its language was clear, he said, stressing that he was not pre-empting a conclusion. The Government had been asked early on before the summer to say that there would be a vote on a substantive motion. He had indicated that would be the case and, at that stage, no-one had been asking about options and had assumed that there would be a single recommendation from the Government. Ministers did not need to provide options; MPs had it in their own hands to identify their own and table them as amendments.

He said it would be astonishing if the Government’s ultimate proposal were not to be whipped. The Leader indicated that there would be more than one discussion within Cabinet about the issue, but he could not indicate the timing. In response to a further question, Mr Straw said that there was a cost and that would have to be debated. He did not wish to usurp Mr Browne’s area of discretion nor the contents of the White Paper. But these issues, and the nature of the threat and any role that a nuclear deterrent may play in dealing with the threats to the nation, would be well rehearsed.

He hoped the media would applaud the fact that extensive discussion was taking place inside Cabinet on one of the most important policy decisions. The Leader said he could not give precise timings, but it was hoped to publish a White Paper "this side of Christmas", with adequate time for people to digest it. He referred to comments he had made during Business Questions earlier. The Leader, in response to a further question, said that Article Six of the Non-Proliferation Treaty made it clear that there was an obligation on the nuclear weapon states progressively to reduce their nuclear weapons stocks in the context of multi-lateral negotiations and the wider context of comprehensive world peace. The UK had moved further and faster in meeting its obligations under Article Six than any other state.

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» Thursday, November 23, 2006

Trident missile system

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