§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will drop their proposal to acquire Trident in the light of the Gallup Poll taken shortly before the general election which found that there was a 63 per cent. majority against their policy.
§ Lord TrefgarneNo. The Government believe that the case for an independent UK deterrent is overwhelming. It follows therefore that Polaris must be replaced as it approaches the end of its useful life in the mid-1990s. Trident is the most cost-effective means of maintaining a credible independent strategic nuclear deterrent well into the next century.