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Churches' plea on Trident

Church leaders yesterday made an 11th-hour appeal for MPs to reject the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent. Leaders of Scotland's Christian denominations joined Church of England bishops in their call as another Scottish MP, Jim Devine of Livingston, resigned a junior government post over Trident's replacement.

Despite a major Labour rebellion, the House of Commons is tonight expected to vote to replace Trident when the system is retired in the 2020s, with the Tories lending vital support to the government.

In an open letter to MPs, church leaders warned that renewing Trident was contrary to the international Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and would undermine efforts at international disarmament.

"It would be the ultimate in hypocrisy for the UK to argue that Iran, for example, should not be developing a nuclear weapons capability, while extending the UK capability in scope and time," the letter says.

The letter was signed by Scottish church leaders including the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; Cardinal Keith O'Brien, of the Catholic Church, Dr Idris Jones, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the Rev John O Fulton, General Secretary of the United Free Church of Scotland.

Full story at The Scotsman.