The renewal of Trident has major financial and political implications The defence secretary is expected to give the go-ahead for initial work to begin on the replacement of Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent.
In a statement later, the BBC understands Liam Fox will approve the first stage of research and design for replacing existing submarines.
The issue has been the subject of tension within the coalition.
The Lib Dems, which support a cheaper alternative, want the final decision delayed until after the next election.
But most Tory MPs want the government to proceed immediately, urging a clear signal of the UK’s determination to maintain an independent nuclear deterrent.
The coalition had earlier indicated it would delay the “main gate” decision on replacing the UK’s four Vanguard submarines until after May 2015 – a move widely seen as easing tensions with the Lib Dems.
But Dr Fox is expected to give the green light to the “initial gate” phase, which will mean ordering the specialised steel to build the submarines and designing new nuclear reactors.
The BBC understands that the “initial gate” decision will cost about £3bn – a significant proportion of the end cost of the submarines currently estimated at around £20bn.
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