Jeremy Corbyn Wants To Abolish The UK's Trident Nuclear Deterent. This Is What The £100 Billion Could Buy At The Same Time
11 Things Corbyn's Trident Abolition Plan Could Buy
Graeme Demianyk— The Huffington Post UK
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Jeremy Corbyn has repeated throughout the Labour leadership campaign his desire to end any prospect of renewing the Trident nuclear missile.
Quite apart from burnishing his left-wing credentials, since Labour abandoned its commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament in the 1980s, the policy allows the long-time supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to make promises on public spending his rivals cannot match.
The Islington North MP reckons the £100 billion saved could be re-directed to reverse austerity, giving him a largely costed plan to boost public services.
While arguing a secure world is "not created by an arms race", others would beg to differ as to whether abandoning the weapons system is a wise move in an unstable world.
In any case, this is a pick 'n' mix of what £100 billion could buy at the same time.
What cancelling Trident could fund
Build 52,631 houses(01 of10)
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Combat the housing crisis. A new-build house is said to cost £189,940 on a development. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Fund the BBC for two years(02 of10)
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The corporation's annual budget is around £5 billion. (credit:Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
Build 56 hospitals(03 of10)
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Each new facility is estimated to cost £178 million. (credit:Fiona Hanson/PA Archive)
Pay tuition fees for 1.1 million students (04 of10)
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Footing the £9,000 charge for a three-year degree. (credit:Dominic Harris/PA Archive)
Build 714 schools(05 of10)
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£14 million on each new building. (credit:Matt Cardy via Getty Images)
Pay for the UK's biggest rail scheme(06 of10)
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HS2 has a price-tag of £43 billion (credit:Anthony Devlin/PA Archive)
Underwrite the Chilcot inquiry(07 of10)
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The Iraq war investigation has run up a bill of more than £10 million. (credit:David Cheskin/PA Wire)
Pay the salary of 29,411 soldiers for 20 years (08 of10)
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A £17,000-a-year fully trained new recruit. (credit:Ian Forsyth via Getty Images)
Fund free school meals for every pupil for 18 months(09 of10)
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At £2 per meal for 8.2 million pupils. (credit:Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images)
Pay for cancelled report into the scourge of seagulls(10 of10)
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A £250,000 study was ditched by the new government (credit:Mike Hewitt via Getty Images)
And there would still be enough spare change to buy £85 million of footballer in the shape of Gareth Bale, the world's most expensive player.