§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, if they are concerned at the rate at which Soviet warships continue to be built, they do not accept the long-standing Soviet proposal to negotiate on naval arms control, or make one of their own.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (The Earl of Caithness)The alliance's security depends crucially on sea-lines of communication in a way that Soviet security does not. In these circumstances it would not be in our interests to engage in structural naval arms control.