Chisholm breaks Trident ranks

A SENIOR Labour minister has broken ranks over plans to keep Britain's nuclear deterrent.

Malcolm Chisholm, the Scottish communities minister, voiced his opposition to the plans and spoke of unrest in the party over the proposals.

His comments come after the First Minister backed Tony Blair's view that the country needed to update the Clyde-based Trident system at a cost of 25 billion.

Mr Chisholm said: "I just think in the new world we don't actually need this kind of weapon. It's not setting the right example to other countries in terms of proliferation. There may have been an argument 25 years ago. I don't think it does apply in the modern world.

"We ought to try to get rid of the weapons we have through multilateral disarmament rather than encouraging proliferation through new investment in armaments."

Jack McConnell, the First Minister, defended his position yesterday in the face of criticism by opposition parties and his Lib Dem coalition colleagues.

He also said he respected Mr Chisholm's opinion.

Mr Chisholm, the first Labour member of the Scottish cabinet to speak out, said he knew of a number of the party's MSPs and MPs who do not agree with Mr Blair. He called for a moral and rational counter argument to be "strongly put" and backed the opposition voiced by Roy Hattersley and Charles Clarke.