UK and France agree to joint nuclear weapons tests

The UK and France are to sign a treaty agreeing to the joint development and testing of nuclear warheads, reports BBC News.

The plans will see one centre set up in the UK to develop technology and another in France to carry out testing.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will also outline plans, at a London summit, for a joint army expeditionary force.

Downing Street called the measures "practical," but Labour said they left "big questions" over the UK's defences.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "This summit marks a deepening of the UK-France bilateral relationship. Ours is now a strategic partnership tackling together the biggest challenges facing our two countries."

The summit comes two weeks after the UK government announced cuts to its armed forces, in the first strategic defence review since 1998, as part of savings aimed at reducing the country's budget deficit.