Ms Lambert said the use of the UK’s nuclear weapons would be illegal under international law, cause millions of deaths and unprecedented destruction to wildlife – and serve no useful diplomatic or foreign relations purpose.

She said the Trident programme, estimated to cost as much as £100 bn (1), was ‘a drain on resources’.

“Just this month, for example, the Government ‘casually’ agreed to spend an extra £270m on repairing and refitting nuclear submarines making up the Trident system – that’s more than five time the £50m in cuts from the Legal Aid budget,” she said.

“Cuts in public services – and public servants’ wages – aren’t inevitable: they are a policy choice.

“Greens believe the Government should make a different choice: starting with a commitment to abandon its costly, pointless and dangerous nuclear weapons arsenal.”

For more details on the costs of Trident, see this CND’s ‘People Not Trident’ report here .

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