By Christopher Silvester

Independent on Sunday – 12 June 2005

The prediction of a “massive revival” in support for the nuclear disarmament group CND has come from an unlikely source, namely Dr Julian Lewis, a Tory MP and defence spokesman, who was prominent in opposing them during the 1980s when they held huge marches.

”I fully expect to see an upsurge in their strength during the next three or four years,”

Lewis tells me.

“The Government is to make a decision on updating the Trident submarines this Parliament. Whenever we update our nuclear deterrent it causes an upsurge in support for CND. It happened with the replacement of the V-Bombers with Polaris from 1958-64, and then with the replacement of Polaris with Trident in 1980 to 1984, although that was combined with the arrival of Cruise missiles.”

If the Government confirms that it is going ahead with another upgrade, there is likely be a backlash from the Labour left just as it might have been hoping that feelings over the Iraq war would be settling down.