BORIS Johnson is set to increase the UK’s number of nuclear warheads for the first time since the Cold War as part of today’s integrated review.
The leaked 114-page document, due to be published today, will say the UK should up the number of warheads from not more than 180 to not more than 260.
The Government will also send more troops abroad “more often and for longer” as part of the £24 billion hike in defence spending.
Johnson will warn the UK’s way of life is threatened by rogue states, terrorists and big tech firms. The review says the Government “must do a better job of putting the interests and values of the British people at the heart of everything we do”.
The Prime Minister will warn that the UK faces a terrorist threat “whether Islamist-inspired, Northern Ireland-related or driven by other motivations”.
The report also says it is likely that a terrorist group could launch a “chemical, biological or nuclear attack by 2030”.
As part of the review the UK will see military bases revamped in Kenya, Oman, Singapore, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Germany.
There will also be a focus on cyberspace and space with a new National Cyber Force set up. Meanwhile billions of pounds worth of old kit like tanks and warships will be cut.
The RAF will lose 24 Typhoon jets, its fleet of Hercules transport planes and the Queen’s four VIP jets. The Navy will lose HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth and 13 minehunters, set to be replaced by drones.
In the Army, commanders will lose 10,000 personnel, four infantry battalions, 77 tanks and 760 Warrior fighting vehicles.
In the report, the Prime Minister sets out his ideas of a post-Brexit Britain: "Having left the European Union, the UK has started a new chapter in our history."
"Few nations are better placed to navigate the challenges ahead, but we must be willing to change our approach and adapt to the new world emerging around us.
"Open and democratic societies like the UK must demonstrate they are match-fit for a more competitive world."
The plan to massively increase the number of nuclear warheads comes just two months on from the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons becoming effective.
The legally binding international agreement set out aims to ban nuclear weapons with a goal of their total elimination.
Addressing the Tory Government plans, David Cullen, the director of the Nuclear Information Service, said: “If this is confirmed, this would be a highly provocative move.
“The UK has repeatedly pointed to its reducing warhead stockpile as evidence that it is fulfilling its legal duties under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
“If they are tearing up decades of progress in reducing numbers, it will be a slap in the face to the 190 other members of the treaty, and will be regarded as a shocking breach of faith.”
READ MORE: UK 'set to increase nuclear warhead numbers for the first time since Cold War'
MPs backed renewing Trident in 2016. Most Tories supported this, Labour were split and the SNP voted against.
The majority of Scots (56%) believe Trident should not be renewed. Trident is based on the west coast of Scotland, at HMNB Clyde.
Last month Labour announced its “non-negotiable” support for the nuclear weapons.
Stewart McDonald (below), the SNP's shadow defence spokesperson, commented: “For Boris Johnson to stand up and champion the international rules-based system before announcing in the same breath that the UK plans to violate its commitments to the international treaty on non-proliferation beggars belief.
"Renewing Trident nuclear weapons was already a shameful and regressive decision, however, increasing the cap on the number of Trident weapons the UK can stockpile by more than 40% is nothing short of abhorrent.
"It speaks volumes of the Tory Government's spending priorities that it is intent on increasing its collection of weapons of mass destruction - which will sit and gather dust unless the UK has plans to indiscriminately wipe out entire populations - rather than address the serious challenges and inequalities in our society that have been further exposed by the pandemic.
"Scotland can do so much better. The question for voters in the upcoming election is simple: who should decide Scotland’s future? A Scottish Government elected by the people of Scotland that focuses on our priorities, or a Boris Johnson Tory government that will waste billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction?"
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