UK to raise cap on its nuclear warhead stockpile by 40%

UK to raise cap on its nuclear warhead stockpile by 40%

Boris Johnson on Tuesday launched a sweeping review of the UK's post-Brexit foreign policy, including a controversial plan for a 40 per cent increase in the number of Trident nuclear warheads that Britain can stockpile.

The decision to raise the cap on the number of Trident nuclear warheads from 180 to 260 is "in recognition of the evolving security environment“, the review says.

The move “” which signals a shift away from Britain's pursuit of non-proliferation in recent decades “” is intended to cement the UK's status as a nuclear power and a firm US defence ally.

The British prime minister, in a 100-page paper "Global Britain in a Competitive Age“, says the UK will be "a beacon of democratic sovereignty and one of the most influential countries in the world“.

While proclaiming that Britain wanted to be a "soft power superpower“ “” citing assets such as the BBC and the Premier League “” Downing Street also announced plans to beef up its hard power with funding for "next generation“ directed energy weapons, and advanced high-speed conventional missiles.

Anti-nuclear campaigners accused the UK of starting a new nuclear arms race. Kate Hudson, general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, pointed out that just last