UK Government 'acting like North Korea' over Trident test, says former Navy chief
Trident - PA
A former senior military official has accused the Government of acting "like North Korea" by refusing to come clean about a Trident nuclear missile test that went awry.
Admiral Lord West, the former head of the navy, said it was “bizarre and stupid” that ministers had chosen to keep quiet about the reported malfunction.
According to the Sunday Times an unarmed £17m Trident II D5 missile veered off course during a drill off the coast of Florida last June - the first such test for four years.
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The missile was supposed to reach a sea target off the west of Africa but instead hurtled towards the US.
Prime Minister Theresa May refused to say whether she knew about the failure when asked about it repeatedly during an weekend television interview.
Lord West, who also served as a security minister, told Radio 4’s World This Weekend he was “shocked” the Government did not announce the failure if it was minor.
“If a firing goes wrong you should say that it’s gone wrong unless you think there’s something that means it’s so fundamentally wrong the whole system is no longer viable,” he said.
“From what the Government say there was a minor glitch with the missile and they are quite happy with the system still - in which case go ahead and let people know.
“Otherwise we are a bit rather like the Soviet Union used to be, or like North Korea or China, where they won’t admit to things going wrong.”
Lord West demanded the Government comes to Parliament to explain why the “absolutely stupid” decision was made and to reassure MPs that the Trident system is working properly.
May ducked four questions on whether she knew about the incident ahead of a crunch Commons vote on Trident renewal in July that she called as one of her first acts as Prime Minister.
“I have absolute faith in our Trident missiles,” she insisted in an interview with the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.
The SNP, long-standing critics of the UK's nuclear deterrent, called for answers.
"This is a hugely serious issue. There should be full disclosure of what happened, who knew what/when, and why House of Commons wasn't told," tweeted Nicola Sturgeon.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the mistake a “catastrophic error” on Sky News.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said today’s report was “worrying” and called on the Government to come clean about what happened.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is expected to face MPs on the issue today.
A statement issued by No 10 and the Ministry of Defence said: “The capability and effectiveness of the Trident missile, should we ever need to employ it, is unquestionable.
"In June the Royal Navy conducted a routine unarmed Trident missile test launch from HMS Vengeance, as part of an operation which is designed to certify the submarine and its crew.
"Vengeance and her crew were successfully tested and certified, allowing Vengeance to return into service. We have absolute confidence in our independent nuclear deterrent.
"We do not provide further details on submarine operations for obvious national security reasons."
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