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Parliament votes to replace nuclear deterrent

British Prime Minister Tony Blair won a crucial parliamentary vote to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent on Wednesday, but only after a revolt from within his ruling Labour ranks.

The bill itself passed by a healthy margin with 409 in favor of replacing the US-built Trident missile system, and 161 against, after a rowdy debate in parliament and the resignation of four junior government ministers through the course of the week.

While Blair, who is to stand down within months, told the House of Commons that nuclear weapons were essential for Britain's future security, opponents argued that the costs were prohibitive and that Britain would be seen to be hypocritical in its dealings with Iran and North Korea.

Dissent was strong within his own Labour party, with 87 Labour members of parliament (MPs) voting against replacing the submarine-based Trident. Some 95 backed a defeated amendment to delay the decision.

The government won both votes only with the support of the main opposition Conservatives in what was seen by some as a sign of Blair's weakening control over his party after nearly a decade in power. He is expected to hand over to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown later this year.

The parliamentary rebuff was believed to be the biggest rebellion within Labour ranks since March 2003, when 138 Labour MPs, including former foreign secretary Robin Cook, voted against invading Iraq.

Anti-nuclear campaigners hailed the vote as a success with Kate Hudson of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament describing it as a "major victory for the peace movement."

The leader of the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats, Menzies Campbell, who opposed the decision, said it was a "humiliation" for the government.

Left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell, who has declared his intention to stand for the party's leadership when Blair steps down, meanwhile said the campaign against replacing Trident would continue.

"The scale of this rebellion clearly demonstrates that the prime minister has completely misjudged the overwhelming mood in the party ... This is only the beginning of the campaign against Trident's replacement," McDonnell said.

Before lawmakers debated the issue, Blair told them a future parliament could still decide from 2012 to 2014 whether or not to put out new contracts for new nuclear submarines that carry the weapons.

But it was vital to begin the concept and design process on the vessels immediately as they took 17 years to develop.
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