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LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair survived a major revolt in his own party over the renewal of Britain's nuclear arsenal, relying on the opposition to win a parliamentary vote today.
Parliament voted 409 to 161 in favour of a plan to spend 15 to 20 billion pounds
on new nuclear-armed submarines to replace ones that go out of service in 2024.
Around 85 members of Blair's Labour Party voted against the plan to buy a new nuclear weapons system in the biggest rebellion against Blair since a 2003 vote on whether to go to war in Iraq, according to one rebel politician.
That would have been enough to endanger Blair's 67-seat majority in the 646-member Commons, but the Conservatives threw their support behind Blair.
Blair is due to step down in the next few months and is convinced Britain needs to renew its nuclear deterrent, despite deep-rooted opposition within his Labour Party which could see scores of Labour lawmakers voting against him.
The government argues Britain must keep atomic weapons because potential threats from Iran, North Korea or nuclear terrorists mean abandoning them now could be a costly mistake -- even if there is no current threat.
Blair dismissed opponents' arguments that Britain is undermining hopes for international nuclear disarmament by buying a new generation of nuclear missiles.
"There is absolutely no evidence whatever that if Britain now renounced its independent nuclear deterrent that would improve the prospects of getting multilateral disarmament ... I think the reverse is the case," he told parliament.
Britain's nuclear arsenal is the smallest among the five UN Security Council permanent members who are legally recognised as nuclear states under the non-proliferation treaty.
It consists of four British-built Vanguard-class submarines that carry 16 US-supplied Trident long-range missiles, armed with British-built nuclear warheads. The submarines are due to go out of service in about 2024.
The government wants to spend up to £20 billion ($56.73 billion) on three or four nuclear-armed submarines to replace them, saying it must act quickly to have a replacement ready in time.
Blair offered an olive branch to Labour Party rebels by saying parliament could vote again between 2012 and 2014 on whether to approve contracts to build new nuclear submarines.
Blair has a majority of 67 in the 646-seat lower house. The revolt over Trident could be the biggest since nearly 140 Labour legislators voted against going war in Iraq.
Opponents say Britain no longer needs weapons to deter an attack from a nuclear-armed Soviet Union, and by renewing the arsenal it would become harder to persuade countries such as Iran and North Korea to forsake nuclear weapons.
Jon Trickett, a Labour legislator who has put forward an amendment calling for further debate on Trident's replacement, said he expected many more than 34 Labour members of parliament to rebel against the government.
A revolt on that scale could leave Blair dependent on the opposition Conservative Party to push through his plans. The Conservatives back renewing Britain's nuclear arsenal.
Critics say the money could be better spent beefing up Britain's conventional forces or on improving public services.
A deep hostility to nuclear weapons runs through the Labour Party, which espoused unilateral nuclear disarmament until the late 1980s.
Nigel Griffiths, deputy leader of the lower house of parliament and a member of Blair's government, and Jim Devine, a ministerial aide, have resigned in protest at replacing Trident.
- REUTERS