Corbyn denies saying he will scrap Trident in near future

JEREMY CORBYN has been forced to deny claims that he told the organiser of Glastonbury Festival that he plans to scrap Trident “as soon as I can” if he becomes prime minister.

Michael Eavis – the farmer who has organised the festival on his land near Pilton, Somerset, since 1970 – said the Labour leader told him that he would be in Downing Street “in six months”.

Mr Eavis was asked during a question and answer session with festivalgoers what Mr Corbyn had said to him before he addressed the crowd from the famed Pyramid stage on Saturday.

Somerset Live reported that Mr Eavis said Mr Corbyn predicted that he would be in Downing Street by the end of the year and that when he asked him when he would get rid of Trident he said “as soon as I can”.

A Labour source said that Mr Eavis appeared to be “paraphrasing” a conversation with Mr Corbyn.

The future of Trident has been a major source of tension within Labour since Mr Corbyn assumed the leadership in 2015. The party is committed to renewing the nuclear weapons system. However, Labour has said that it will hold a strategic defence review if its gets into power and Mr Corbyn remains a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “Jeremy and Labour are ready to fight another general election as soon as it is called.… both Jeremy and the Labour Party have long been committed to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty which aims to achieve a nuclear-free world.

“Trident renewal is Labour policy, as spelled out in our manifesto, which Jeremy and the party were proud to stand on in the election.”

Johnny Mercer, the Tory MP, said: “Corbyn is kidding even his own Corbynistas – he says one thing in public and the opposite in private. Don’t be fooled this man is dangerous and cannot be trusted with our defence.”