CONDUCT OF LORD MANDELSON

That this House notes that the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, right hon. Lord Mandelson, told the North West Evening Mail newspaper on 23 January 2010 of the Prime Minister's firm commitment that Labour will build the new generation of Trident submarines; recalls that the Secretary of State for Defence said in a written answer to the hon. Member for Keighley in December 2009 that the Government had originally planned to consider the Concept Phase of the initial gate of the approval process for a replacement for Trident submarines in autumn, but further time was required to ensure that decisions taken are based on robust information and the Government was aiming to be in a position to make an announcement early in the New Year; believes that this House should be the first to be informed of security decisions that could involve public expenditure over 40 years of over £75 billion; further believes the unelected Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has no mandate to make such commitments for policy decisions for which he is not responsible; and calls for the immediate abandonment of further expenditure on Trident, and for the taxpayers' money saved to be redirected to socially useful investments, including the aid fund for Haiti and the alleviation of child poverty, increased support for local authorities, more sustained support for essential public services and public sector jobs in the UK.