Dannatt: we may not need Trident in the long term

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Speaking on Radio 5 this morning, General Sir Richard Dannatt suggested that in the long term the UK may not need to replace Trident, and that the defence budget should instead be focussed on increasing ground troops.

Although Dannatt said it was justified to keep Trident in the short term, he accepted that its costs, estimated to be up to £130 billion, meant the programme should be “constantly under review”.

Two in three people in Britain are now thought to oppose renewing or replacing Trident.