Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan
“Strategically, nuclear capability no longer seems to be an appropriate way of ensuring security or equipping our military forces to function effectively.
“The very existence of nuclear weapons as a defence against an unknown future threat is likely to increase a culture of demand for nuclear weapons across the world rather than reduce it. Financially, at a time when we’re all being called on to tighten our belts and are affected by severe cuts in local government, health and education, I think it would be scandalous to spend £20bn on Trident’s renewal.”
Alun Lenny, spokesman for the Union of Welsh Independents – a large network of chapels which has roots dating back to 1639 – said: “The union has very recently called not for the downgrading of Trident but for the scrapping of the nuclear fleet.
“It’s incredible at a time of great and increasing public expenditure and cutbacks in fields like health and education in particular, that the UK Government is seriously thinking about spending [billions] on these weapons of mass destruction, which is what they are.”
Mr Lenny called for a debate about post-Cold War spending priorities and argued money would be better spent caring for past and present service personnel.
Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Professor Emeritus of Judaism at the University of Wales, said it was no longer in the UK’s national interest to possess nuclear weapons and called for a reassessment in terms of cost-effectiveness, ethics and strategic military planning.
He said: “I think the desire to have a strong nuclear deterrent is bound up with a strong feeling Britain must be in the first rank of superpowers. It’s not a good reason to spend billions on a nuclear deterrent that will hopefully never be used and will probably be dismantled.”
Jill Gough, national secretary of CND Cymru, said: “In Wales, we’ve got a very strong ecumenical movement against Trident… I think it probably echoes the strong Welsh tradition of pacifism and thinking differently; one likes to think so.”
Monmouth Conservative MP David Davies warned in the Commons this week of the dangers of abandoning Trident.
He said: “If we don’t have a full-time deterrent, we might as well as stand high as we possibly can on the ladder so that our enemies can see the white flag that we will need to wave at them.”
Iran has stated it will resume talks on the country’s nuclear programme as soon as the newly-elected president puts together his negotiating team.
Former chiefs of defence staff Lord Boyce and Lord Stirrup warned this week against any downgrade to the UK system, along with five former defence secretaries.