In the overall scheme of things to come, I suspect that a tightening of CEA rules will be lost in the noise.
Trident Replacement Delay Expected - Monday, September 27, 2010
Putting off plans to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system until after the next general election, and drastically scaling down plans to build two new aircraft carriers, are expected to be among key decisions agreed at a meeting of the government's national security council next week, well-placed sources have told the Guardian newspaper.
The Navy will pay for the limited carrier project by agreeing to severe cuts in the number of its surface ships, defence officials say. The RAF will lose many of its fast jets, mainly Tornado and Harriers, and tens of thousands of Ministry of Defence posts, civilian and military, will be axed. A proposed 20% cut in the size of the army - a loss of some 20,000 soldiers - will be put off because of political sensitivity at a time British troops are fighting and getting killed in Afghanistan, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.