Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent, Trident, is coming to the end of its working life and needs renewal. However, many in Tony Blair’s party are against it (Blair himself was once a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). Accordingly, it looks like the Prime Minister will have to rely on Liam Fox and Tory votes to secure a replacement.

However, there is a fly in the ointment:

Tory strategy director Steve Hilton is reported to be cautious about the issue, however. He vetoed a speech by Liam Fox on the subject after a focus group test found that voters were reminded of the Thatcher era. Dr Fox is a supporter of replacing Trident but the last Conservative Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, is opposed.

The decision to replace the British-designed Polaris system with American-designed Trident was pretty unpopular but necessary at the time. To oppose a necessary component of national defense on the grounds that it reminds people of a great Prime Minister and her opposition to appeasement strikes me as particularly craven. Hopefully Liam will be able to win this battle.