Should the UK give up its nuclear weapons?

The UK maintains a nuclear deterrent based on Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, with an estimated 260 warheads as of 2026. Successive governments have renewed the system citing threats from Russia and other nuclear states, while the UK remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty committed to eventual disarmament. Recent discussions reference the Budapest Memorandum, where Ukraine surrendered its inherited Soviet nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances that were later breached by Russia's invasion.