Nuclear Deterrence (Hansard, 8 April 1998)

§ Q7. Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East)
If he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards nuclear deterrence.

§ The Deputy Prime Minister
As the hon. Gentleman is so familiar with Labour party documents owing to his past experience, let me refer him to page 38 of Labour's manifesto, which sets out our policy on the issue. We put that manifesto to the British people on 1 May. It gave us the largest parliamentary majority of the century—and, I assume, the fewest Tory Members elected to any Parliament in the same period.

§ Dr. Lewis
I realise that, in view of his own deplorable past support for the campaign for unilateral nuclear disarmament, the Deputy Prime Minister finds it difficult to say that he approves of nuclear deterrence. I have no doubt that he will follow the precedent set by his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) by emulating the evasive and slippery techniques of his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, and referring to my political activities in the Labour party in the 1970s.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister simply answer one question? If, now that the danger of Russian nuclear aggression has receded, the Government appreciate nuclear deterrence, do they admit that they were wrong to call for unilateral nuclear disarmament at the height of the threat from the Soviet Union at the time of the cold war, when the Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister all supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament?

§ The Deputy Prime Minister
That was an interesting question, but it was not truthful and not worth answering.

§ Mr. Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead)
As my right hon. Friend will know, last year in Helsinki 350 Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin agreed to begin further strategic arms reduction talks—the START 3 process, following the ratification of START 2—with the aim of cutting the number of nuclear weapons by 2007. If, as seems likely, the British Government say that this is a bilateral matter between America and Russia, can my right hon. Friend say when he expects Britain to make a start on nuclear disarmament negotiations?

§ The Deputy Prime Minister
As my hon. Friend knows, we are re-examining those very matters in our strategic defence review. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has answered questions, and a statement will be made to the House at the appropriate time. It will be made by my right hon. Friend, as I am sure the House would expect.