Submitted by: George Woods and Ruqayyah Collector

Supported by: Gemma Tumelty

Date: 11th December 2006

NUS NEC believes:

1. On 4 December the Prime Minister announced the Government's intention to replace Britain's nuclear weapons system, Trident, with new nuclear weapons.

2. There will now be a 'consultation' period followed by a vote in Parliament in March.

3. It is important that students are made aware of this important decision, its implications for creating a more dangerous world, and the enormous waste of society's resources it involves.

4. Resources spent on replacing Trident would be better used to alleviate student hardship and invest in the education system, alongside other public services and combating international poverty.

5. A recent poll showed 59% of the British public were opposed to Trident replacement. The NUS NEC has previously voted to campaign against Trident's replacement.

6. Trident consists of four nuclear-armed submarines, each carrying 48 nuclear warheads. Each warhead is eight times more powerful than the bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima, killing hundreds of thousands.

7. Trident costs approximately ?1.5bn yearly to maintain. Replacing and maintaining Trident is estimated at costing up to ?76bn.

8. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has produced an 'Alternative white paper' laying out the strategic, moral, legal and economic case for not replacing trident.

9. Organisations including CND, NUS, People and Planet, War on Want and other Trade Union, religious and campaigning groups have launched a website 'The big trident debate' www.bigtridentdebate.org.uk to encourage a full and informed public and Parliamentary debate.

NUS NEC further believes:

1. British nuclear weapons contribute to making the world a more dangerous place.

2. Far from deterring nuclear conflict, replacing Trident would increase the risk of nuclear weapons being used in war and serve to encourage non-nuclear weapons states to consider acquiring a nuclear capability. It would do nothing to deter terrorist attacks.

3. Replacing Trident would conflict with the British government's 'unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals' agreed in 2000 at the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference.

NUS NEC resolves:

1. Campaign to prevent Trident's replacement and to call on the government to meet its disarmament obligations.

2. To campaign for the money that would have been spent to be used on higher education instead.

3. To promote CND's alternative white paper to students and students' unions.

4. To encourage students' unions to hold 'Big Trident debates' on campus to raise awareness of the issues and arguments surrounding Trident replacement.

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