The Guardian, citing Whitehall sources, reported the shocking news on March 12 that the Boris Johnson government plans to increase the number of warheads in the British nuclear stockpile from the current level of 180. The U.K.’s stockpile of nuclear weapons peaked at about 500 in the late 1970s, but had been gradually decreasing ever since as the perceived threat from the Soviet Union and now Russia had been assumed to be decreasing.
The full reasons for the anticipated move are not yet clear but it comes amid speculation it is designed to help persuade the U.S. to co-fund aspects of a Trident replacement warhead for the 2030s. Its costs, too, are uncertain. “If they are tearing up decades of progress in reducing numbers, it will be a slap in the face to the 190 other members of the [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT] treaty, and will be regarded as a shocking breach of faith,” said David Cullen, the director of the Nuclear Information Service.
The New York Times first reported about a year ago that the Trump Administration had included in its budget request funds for the development of a new warhead, the W93, to replace the W76 currently deployed on Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The same New York Times report also quoted Adm. Charles Richard saying that the development of the W93 would also support a warhead replacement effort for the U.K..
