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£79m funding 'will replace nuclear subs'

Work on 'successor' boats to begin in 2015

Tory Defence Secretary Philip Hammond committed the government yesterday to more funding for new Trident nuclear submarines despite growing opposition.

He announced £79 million will be splashed on Britain's "largest and most-advanced boats" in a written annual update on the nuclear weapons programme.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) pointed out that even former Tory defence minister James Arbuthnot has blasted the decision.

BAE Systems has already been paid £643m for designing the "Successor" submarines and the latest investment will allow manufacturing work to begin.

The first phase will start just months after the general election in 2015 and the submarines are expected to take to the seas from 2028.

Mr Hammond said: "The current Vanguard Class of deterrent submarines perform a vital role in the defence of the UK and the replacement for this capability is of national importance.

"The Successor programme is supporting around 2,000 jobs and up to 850 British businesses could benefit from the supply chain as we exploit the most modern technologies and employ a significant portion of the UK's engineers, project managers and technicians over the coming years."

BAE Systems said it is set to employ 540 extra workers - including 240 apprentices - at its Barrow-in-Furness site from the new year to facilitate the order.

But commons defence select committee chair Mr Arbuthnot argued yesterday that Trident was too expensive and didn't provide safety.

And CND said that was proof the government is "losing the confidence of senior figures within the coalition" for renewing the nuclear weapons system.

General secretary Kate Hudson said: "That James Arbuthnot is prepared to publicly contrast the cuts to conventional forces with the enormous expenditure on Trident means there are real concerns even on the Conservative benches.

"The reality is that the economic and strategic arguments for Trident don't add up."

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