CND’s General Secretary, Kate Hudson, has issued the following statement: ‘Trident may not be getting kicked out of a newly independent Scotland: but the British people want it heading for the scrap heap regardless. ‘The Scottish independence referendum has simply fuelled the debate over Trident replacement – and a majority on both sides of the vote simply want rid of it. The onus is on the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour, to justify spending more than £100 billion on a strategically redundant weapons system, which does nothing to combat the real threats facing the UK. ‘Trident has been placed front and centre of public debate over recent months: and opposition will continue to grow through the general election next year, right up to the final vote on Trident replacement in 2016. That public opposition to Trident will grow for as long as the government chooses to slash the NHS before weapons of mass destruction; for as long as they pour billions into warheads before renewable energy; and for as long as they prioritise Cold War relics over the real needs of the British people. ‘Not before time, this antiquated white elephant is on life support. Rather than trying to resuscitate it, Westminster should pull the plug.’
‘While the referendum on Scottish independence has returned a No vote, this is no time for David Cameron and the defence establishment to be breathing a sigh of relief about the future of the UK’s nuclear weapons.