'No sane person would press nuclear button' Salmond lashes out against PM over Trident
ALEX SALMOND has blasted Theresa May's insistence she would use nuclear weapons as "a crucial mistake".
SNP's Alex Salmond - No sane person would press Nuclear Button
The former First Minister of Scotland wasted no time expressing his horror over Theresa May's willingness to authorise a nuclear attack with the Trident.
Speaking on LBC, he said: “I don’t think any sane person would do that [order nuclear attack].
"I was surprised by Theresa May being so anxious to confirm that she would."
Mr Salmond criticised the new PM's commitment after she announced in Parliament she would be prepared to authorise a nuclear strike that could kill thousands of "innocent men, women and children" if the situation demanded it.
Alex Salmond has blasted Theresa May's insistence that she would use nuclear weapons
He added: "You’re not meant to answer that question either way. You’re not meant to say ‘no I won’t’ or for that matter ‘yes I would’ in the way I thought was a tad too enthusiastically Theresa May answered it on Monday.”
It comes as MPs on Monday overwhelmingly backed a £31billion modernisation programme for Britain's independent nuclear deterrent by 472 votes to 117, majority 355.
The decisive result was returned in support of a Government motion which also included backing the plan to replace the existing submarine fleet carrying the missiles with four new Successor submarines.
The former First Minister of Scotland said 'no sane person would order a nuclear attack'
Theresa May said she was prepared to authorise a nuclear strike
I don’t think any sane person would do that [order nuclear attack]
During the debate Mrs May was directly challenged in the Commons on whether she would be prepared to authorise a nuclear strike and Mrs May firmly replied: "Yes."
Splits in Labour also depended during the session as the PM attacked the turmoil party for "defending the country's enemies" after Green MP Caroline Lucas asked Mrs May: "If keeping and renewing our nuclear weapons is so vital to our national security and our safety then do you accept that the logic of that position must be that every other single country must seek to acquire nuclear weapons?
"And do you really think that the world will be a safer place if it did? Our nuclear weapons are driving proliferation - not the opposite.
Mrs May quickly retorted: "No, no I don't accept that at all.
"I have to say to you that sadly you and some members of the Labour Party seem to be the first to defend the country's enemies and the last to actually accept the capabilities that we need."
The new PM refused to guarantee that British steel would be used in the construction process for Trident renewal.
MPs overwhelmingly backed a modernisation programme for Britain's independent nuclear deterrent
Asked if UK steel would be used, Mrs May said: "The Government has been looking at the Government procurement arrangements in relation to steel, and obviously where British steel is good value we would want to see that being used."
May added submarines are less vulnerable to attacks than aircraft and ships and can maintain "continuous, round-the-clock cover".