UK parliament votes to renew nuclear weapons

LONDON (AA) - Lawmakers in the House of Commons decided Monday to upgrade Britain’s nuclear program.

After six hours of debate, in a 472-117 vote, parliament also decided on replacing the country's four Trident submarines, one of which is always armed and on patrol in the north Atlantic.

The current generation of submarines will reach the end of their working lives toward the end of the next decade.

Not renewing the Trident would be a "reckless gamble", according to new British Prime Minister Theresa May. "We can not compromise on our national security. We cannot outsource the grave responsibility we shoulder for keeping our people safe,” she said, adding: “The nuclear threat has not gone away; if anything, it has increased."