I read recently a letter in the Daily Mail (I know, I know) from a Doctor chap which flabbergasted me about our Trident deterrent. This chap said that the boats only go to sea with one missile. Is it true that all the money spent is only to keep one boat at sea with one missile?
Hansard:
Nuclear Submarines
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the implications are for the number of deployed warheads of the announcement in the White Paper CM6994 that the stockpile of operationally available warheads will be reduced from 200 to 160; and if he will make a statement. [108791]
Des Browne: As set out in Box 2-1 of the White Paper “The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent” (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, normally only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time, with up to 48 warheads on board..........