The SNP says we shouldn't renew Trident, because of the risk of President Donald Trump

In the Trident renewal debate in Parliament, Scottish National Party MPs reiterated calls for the "political ego trip" to be scrapped.

The SNP have been vocal in their opposition to renewing the nuclear sub programme, pointing towards the moral implications and spiralling cost.

But the party's defence spokesperson Brendan O’Hara has added fuel to the fire by suggesting on Tuesday that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could end up in charge of the supposedly independent British nuclear programme.

O’Hara opened his debate speech by saying:

The UK’s independent nuclear deterrent isn’t, I believe, all that independent.

Referring to a defence select committee report from 2006, O'Hara pointed out that it was highly unlikely that any British prime minister would launch a Trident missile without talking to the White House first.

In reality, it will be an American US commander-in-chief who will ultimately decide, and in 18 months time that commander-in-chief could be President Donald Trump.

Does anyone seriously think that Trident makes the world a safer place?

But in an interview with GQ this week, Trump said he "wouldn't be nuking anybody".

The reporter pressed:

But ultimately you have to be prepared to press the button or there's no point in having [nuclear weapons]?

To which Trump replied:

Well, I don't want to talk about that subject because that's not a subject that, you know… [restarts his thought] that has to do with that whole...[restarts his thought again] I just don't want to talk about it.

It is highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely that I would ever be using them.

Apparently Trump won't use nuclear weapons if and when he gets to take over the White House.

So: even if we do renew the Trident programme, apparently President Trump, like Prime Minister Corbyn, wouldn't press the red button.

Is this what they call a silver lining?

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