Trident is evil and against God, bishops warn Blair

Nineteen bishops have joined the row over the replacement of Britain's nuclear weapons by warning the Prime Minister that the possession of Trident is "evil" and "profoundly anti-God".

In a letter published in The Independent today, the bishops give weight to the growing opposition among Labour MPs to the plan to approve the Trident replacement by the end of the year.

Religious arguments against the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons could unsettle Tony Blair, who is a regular churchgoer.

Mr Blair is likely to feel on firmer ground when faced with the practical, moral and economic arguments for opposing Trident raised by the bishops.

The letter says: "Trident and other nuclear arsenals threaten long-term and fatal damage to the global environment and its people. As such, their end is evil and both possession and use profoundly anti-God acts."

The signatories to the letter include the Rt Rev Peter Price, the Bishop of Bath and Wells; Dr David James, the Bishop of Bradford; Jack Nicholls, the Bishop of Sheffield; and Colin Bennetts, the Bishop of Coventry.

They challenge Mr Blair over his commitment at the Gleneagles summit a year ago to make poverty history. "The costs involved in the maintenance and replacement of Trident could be used to address pressing environmental concerns, the causes of terrorism, poverty and debt," they said.

Labour MPs are likely to challenge the Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, over the Bishops' letter when he speaks to Labour backbenchers at a private meeting at Westminster tonight.

Mr Blair is also facing growing unrest among his MPs over his failure to guarantee a vote in Parliament on replacing Trident. A Commons motion calling for a vote has been signed by 122 MPs, including many senior Labour members.

It was tabled by Michael Meacher, the former environment minister, who welcomed the intervention of the bishops, saying: "It is essential that a decision of this magnitude be taken with a debate in Parliament.

"I support the arguments by the bishops but I would add to them - it is not an independent nuclear deterrent because if the Americans don't approve it, we cannot use it; and on non-proliferation grounds - it is impossible to say to countries like Iran you should not have nuclear weapons but we must have ours."

Church leaders have a long tradition of opposing Britain's nuclear arsenal and many senior church figures joined marches to ban the bomb in the 1960s with Labour stalwarts such as Michael Foot, later the leader of the Labour Party.

But this is the first time senior church figures have entered the debate on replacing Trident since the Prime Minister confirmed the Cabinet was about to carry out its review.

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, has appalled some of his supporters, including Clare Short, by saying he would support the deployment of a new generation of nuclear weapons.