The political theatre of the Trident debate

The Trident debate might be about national security, but all the parties have political points they want to make. Indeed, the reason the debate is happening now is that the Tories wanted something to bring them together, and divide, Labour post-referendum.

Angus Robertson, the SNP’s Westminster leader, began with a few kind words for the new Prime Minister. But then, he was straight on to repeatedly—and theatrically—asking the government front bench to set out what the full life time cost of the Trident replacement would be.

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There is an argument to be had about the cost of Trident—and whether it is the most effective form of defence spending—but Robertson’s argument was rather undercut by him saying that the SNP opposed it at any cost.

However, you could tell how much the SNP want to make of the idea that Trident is being forced on Scotland against its will by the fact that at the end of Robertson’s speech, the SNP benches stood to applaud him.