US support to maintain UK’s nuclear arsenal is in doubt, experts say :

Downing Street sought to play down concerns earlier this week after diplomatic figures including the former British ambassador to the US Sir David Manning floated the scenario of an end to Anglo-US nuclear cooperation.

However, calls for Britain to make alternative plans have been joined by the former UK foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who initiated talks in the 90s between the UK and France on nuclear weapons cooperation.

“It really is necessary for Britain and France to work more closely together because if American reliability ever came into question, then Europe could be defenceless in the face of Russian aggression,” he said.

The only nuclear weapons Britain really has are American missiles, which have British warheads and can be used independently but are drawn from a “pool” with the US, and maintained by US technicians. In other words, at any point, the US can pull the plug on the whole thing.