UK to cut Trident subs

Britain intends to build only three, and not the planned four, replacement Trident nuclear submarines.

The decision could cut around $5bn from the defence budget, but the government is keen to emphasise the contribution the decision will make to the nuclear disarmament debate.

The proposed cuts come as the government searches for ways to reduce the massive deficit in public finances.

Kate Hudson, chair of the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament in Britain, and Mark Fitzpatrick, the director of the non-proliferation and disarmament programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London discuss the significance of this announcement and its implications.

First broadcast 23 September 2009