THE government will be criticised this week by an influential Commons committee over its refusal to discuss details of a secret programme to build a new nuclear weapons system.

Members of the defence select committee are angry that ministers would not allow officials to give evidence to their inquiry into the replacement of Britain’s Trident missiles.

They have been particularly annoyed by the contrast between the government’s reluctance to co-operate and the willingness of Gordon Brown, the chancellor, to back a replacement nuclear deterrent publicly.

“For Brown to come out in favour of it when the government is refusing to co-operate with a parliamentary select committee examining the issue is disgraceful,” said one MP last week.

“Tony Blair says he wants a full and open debate about it but not a single official was allowed to give evidence.” The committee’s report to be published on Friday will make their annoyance clear, the MP said.

With Labour opinion divided on the nuclear deterrent, the party’s members on the committee refused to allow its report to give any indication as to whether they were for or against replacing Trident, the MP added.

An announcement that Britain is to replace the current system with a new warhead and an upgraded version of the Trident missile at an expected cost of £25 billion is expected this year.

Blair has promised a white paper and a parliamentary debate on the issue but has refused to commit to allowing MPs a vote on the matter.

However, while promising more openness, the prime minister secretly gave the go-ahead for the design of a new warhead immediately after Labour was re-elected in May last year.

The government continued to claim publicly that no decision had been made on whether to replace Trident while at the same time ordering the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, to design a new warhead.

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