Meet the man with his fingers on the Trident nuclear trigger

The trigger that would be used to launch a nuclear weapon Credit: Danny Lawson / PA

Video report by ITV News' Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen

As debate rages about the future of the UK's nuclear submarines, the teams responsible for them remain hard at work maintaining the country's deterrent.

ITV News' Carl Dinnen paid a visit to one of the Vanguard-class submarines, HMS Vigilant, and met the man who - if ordered by the prime minister - would need to squeeze the trigger to launch a nuclear missile.

Weapons Engineer Woods displayed the Weapons Engineer Officer'sTactical Trigger, and explained the consequences of pulling the trigger are "impossible to ignore" but and that the responsibility was both an "honour and a burden".

Pulling the trigger would send one of the 60-tonne missiles toward its target, and once the trigger is squeezed, Woods explains there is no going back.

The Weapons Engineer Officer's Tactical Trigger used in the final stage of launching a nuclear missile Credit: ITV News

"Once the missile has left the submarine there is no self-destruct button," he said.

"Once it's gone from here, it is effectively 'fire and forget' - it is going to reach its target."

The sub's captain Commodore Dan Martyn says the decision to launch would be classed as a political rather than a military one.

Interior of nuclear sub HMS Vigilant Credit: ITV News

The future of the nuclear submarines are currently the subject of serious political debate.

The Labour party leadership has proposed keeping the nuclear sub fleet - but not arming them with nuclear weapons.

Nuclear submarine HMS Vigilant Credit: ITV News

Jeremy Corbyn's idea has been roundly rejected by the military community, opposition parties and even activists within Labour including union officials.

More: On board the UK's nuclear submarine HMS Vigilant