May vague over missile misfiring

BRITAIN: The British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is expected to be summoned to the Commons to answer questions about a Trident missile misfire after Prime Minister Theresa May refused to say whether she knew about the incident in the weeks after it occurred.

Fallon faces demands for an inquiry after it was claimed the launch of an unarmed Trident II D5 missile from a British submarine off the coast of Florida in June malfunctioned.

May declined four times yesterday to say whether she knew about the incident, which is said to have happened weeks before a Commons vote on the future of the Trident nuclear deterrent. Downing Street has been accused of covering up the failure.

Asked repeatedly on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether she knew about the misfire, May said only: ‘‘I have absolute faith in our Trident missiles.’’

The Government is expected to face questions in the Commons over the issue, with Labour demanding a full inquiry. May’s response will prompt questions over her decision to force a Commons vote on Trident renewal weeks after the alleged failure.

Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy, said that not revealing the incident had occurred was ‘‘quite extraordinary’’.

Nia Griffith, the shadow defence secretary, said: ‘‘This report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very serious matter, and we need to know exactly what happened.

‘‘Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that the prime minister chose to sidestep questions on the test, and would not even tell us when she knew about the incident. I am demanding the prime minister come to Parliament to give a full explanation to MPs.’’

A Government spokesman said: ‘‘The capability and effectiveness

"This report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very serious matter, and we need to know exactly what happened. Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that the prime minister chose to sidestep questions on the test.'' Nia Griffith, shadow defence secretary

of the Trident missile . . . is unquestionable. In June, the Royal Navy conducted a routine unarmed Trident missile test launch from HMS Vengeance. We do not provide further details on submarine operations for obvious reasons.’’ – Telegraph Group