§ Mr. StrangTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her oral reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen),Official Report, 12 June, column 146, what is the acceptable ratio between the number of Soviet nuclear weapons and the number of the United Kingdom nuclear weapons necessary to provide a minimum nuclear deterrent.
§ The Prime MinisterThe United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent is not based on any specific numerical correlation with Soviet nuclear weapons. Rather, it has long been United Kingdom policy to maintain only the minimum number of weapons necessary to deter aggression. In this respect the need to ensure that our nuclear deterrent remains effective against improving Soviet defences is of overriding importance when considering the size of our force.