Parliament Ignored?

It is today reported in the Daily Telegraph that Gordon Brown has sold the UK's one-third ownership of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) to a Californian company, resulting in the situation whereby United States will now produce and maintain Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, including the production of warheads for Tridents and its planned successor.

It is also alleged that the government tried another 'Jo Moore' trick - burying bad news -  by letting the news be broken on British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) website and that they, the government, failed to make a statement in Parliament. It is also a fact that no details of the sale price have been made public.

This, in my view, raises some serious questions:

1. Should not Parliament have been consulted?

2. Why was the statement made on BNFL's website and not by the government?

3. Since when can a British Prime Minister act in such a cavalier and dictatorial manner?

Hint: methinks someone is a tad hard up for money?

HT: Prodicus