UK sells stake in AWE

The government has sold it's remaining stake in the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston to the US company Jacobs Engineering who join fellow Americans Lockheed Martin and UK Serco in owning the facility that builds the warheads for the UK nuclear deterrent. An interesting move, the government arn't saying how much they are getting for this. Opposition parties have criticised the move saying it weakens the UK's independent nuclear deterrent though lets be honest if the evil Americans said they were not going to build nuclear warheads at the AWE any more the government wouldn't just say "Oh OK then!" Well you would hope not anyway. The MOD say "strategic interests" were taken into account such as "if the President of the US says he can launch then we launch, this makes things easier!"


"Don't touch that button!" "This one? Too late!" "Oh sh-"

The always excellent Arms Control Wonk site has some interesting information about the independent British nuclear deterrent.