Mr Dickson said the motion, stating the renewal of the Trident submarine was indefensible at a time when people across the UK were experiencing the consequences of austerity measures, was a chance to publicly move the UK away from its nuclear status.
“Alliance submitted an amendment to this motion, which unfortunately was not accepted, stating we should instead invest in our conventional defence forces. Sadly, we live in a world where nuclear weapons exist. However, with threats remaining, it would be foolhardy to call for the unilateral disarmament of the UK.
“But a full renewal of Trident would be a costly vanity project. A less costly option should be considered with the firm realisation it is 2015 and not 1965. We shouldn’t be renewing in full a gold-plated relic of the Cold War while our conventional forces and Foreign and Commonwealth Office functions are done on the cheap.
“The threats facing the world these days is not necessarily from established sovereign states. The UK needs to build the capability to respond to this threat – a full renewal of Trident would contribute nothing towards this aim.”