Corbyn: Keep Trident subs... with no nukes
He even says we should ‘discuss Falklands’ future’ with Argentina
JEREMY Corbyn was ridiculed yesterday after suggesting that Britain could retain its fleet of Trident submarines – but they would not carry nuclear warheads.
It led to the Labour leader being criticised by his own party and described by the Tories as a threat to national security.
Mr Corbyn was also condemned by a Falklands veteran after saying it was time to reach an ‘accommodation’ with Argentina over the sovereignty of the islands, which 255 British troops died fighting to liberate in 1982.
And he risked further controversy by calling for a discussion with representatives of Islamic State (IS) terrorists over the ‘strong points’ of their warped ideology and vowing to repeal Margaret Thatcher’s union laws.
Mr Corbyn, a lifelong pacifist, is under pressure from two of Britain’s biggest unions, Unite and GMB, to retain Trident because it sustains thousands of jobs in the North West and Scotland.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that Labour’s defence review could propose the idea of submarines without nuclear warheads as a way of breaking the impasse between his own anti-Trident views, and union support for jobs in the defence industry.
‘They don’t have to have nuclear warheads on them,’ he said. ‘There are options there.’
Mr Corbyn’s new shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry also indicated she was seriously considering the option.
But Labour MP John Woodcock mocked his leader’s suggestion, saying it was ‘implausible’ to have nuclear submarines with no warheads. ‘It’s like having an army with broken rifles,’ he said.
Mr Woodcock, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party’s defence committee, accused his leader of ‘deliberately re-opening old wounds that will drive decent working-class folk away and make us unelectable’.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Mr Corbyn’s comments showed Labour was a threat to Britain’s national security. ‘Labour would weaken Britain’s defences by having a nuclear deterrent without any nuclear weapons,’ he said.
Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles suggested a new use for the submarines under Mr Corbyn. ‘He could paint them yellow and play Beatles songs,’ he joked.
Regarding the Falkland Islands, Mr Corbyn said the stand-off with Argentina was ‘ridiculous’.
‘I think there has to be a discussion about how you can bring about some reasonable accommodation with Argentina,’ he said.
‘It seems to me ridiculous that in the 21st century we’d be getting into some enormous conflict with Argentina about the islands just off it.’
But Simon Weston, a former Welsh Guard who was severely burned when the Argentine air force bombed the troop carrier Sir Galahad, described Mr Corbyn as ‘ignorant and foolhardy’.
‘Jeremy Corbyn clearly has no respect for the islanders or their government,’ he said. ‘They chose to remain under British sovereignty, not the other way around.
‘All those ignoramuses who say we should hand the islands back should read their history – the islands were never Argentinian. The only time anyone was killed in the name of having these islands was when Argentina invaded. I think the only reason he’s saying these things is because he wants to end anything to do with Britain’s past, including the parts that were honourable and decent.’
Mr Corbyn said the islanders should have an ‘enormous say’ in any talks, but refused to say whether they should have a veto over any deal to hand sovereignty to Argentina.
He added: ‘They have got a right to stay where they are, they have got a right to decide on their own future and that will be part of it. Let’s have that discussion, and let’s not set agendas in advance.’
Tory MP Andrew Rosindell, secretary of parliament’s all-party group on the Falklands, said Mr Corbyn’s lack of concern for the islanders’ wishes did not sit well with his commitment to human rights.
The Labour leader also raised eyebrows yesterday by saying it was time to establish a ‘route through’ to Islamic State to help bring about an end to the conflict in Syria. He added: ‘Dialogue is perhaps the wrong word to use, but there has to be some understanding of where their strong points are, where their weak points are, and how we can challenge their ideology.’
Andrew Pierce – Page 16