Labour Will Join Forces With Scottish Nationalists To End Nuclear Deterrent

Former leadership contender Chuka Umunna, who ruled himself out of serving in the shadow cabinet under Mr Corbyn, said: “It’s not plausible for us as an opposition not to have a position on the defence of the realm”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told Sky News the future of Trident will be debated at the party conference next week and that the discussion is a “good idea”.

On Labour’s approach to reducing the deficit, he explained: “We will tackle the deficit but the dividing line between us and the Tories is how we tackle it”. Since the 1990s, Britain’s nuclear deterrent has consisted of four Royal Navy submarines armed with Trident missiles.

Mr McDonnell said he would use his speech to “demand” access to the financial models used by the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Bank of England to help Labour formulate an alternative economic policy and calculate the rate at which a Robin Hood tax could be set. This month Labour elected Corbyn, a 66-year-old backbench lawmaker who promises to combine old-school socialism with a new style of politics.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has said the party conference could introduce the mandatory re-selection of MPs.

He added: “If Mr Corbyn and Labour have any hope of being treated seriously by the vast majority of voters in Scotland, then he must get party support in his commitment to backing the SNP’s plan to scrap the replacement of Trident”.

He also said: ” I will do all that I can to support the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland, working with all parties and the Irish government.

The conference had barely kicked off when Corbyn was forced on the defensive over his decision in 1984 to invite members of Sinn Fein – the political wing of the Irish Republican Army – into parliament.

But the gathering will be no victory parade for a new leader who is caught between sceptical MPs associated with Blair and the centrist “New Labour” and the grassroot members who voted for him on a pure-left platform.

The Labour leader acknowledged he may be unable to persuade members of his shadow cabinet to oppose the renewal of the Trident weapons system and there may be a “difference of opinion” when the parliamentary vote takes place.

“We have got elections in the offing in May, very important elections, and we are going to have many more rounds before the general election”.

Responding to a question, he told delegates: “I think the way I put it is that (shadow chancellor) John McDonnell was right to apologise and he did…”

The 9/11 attacks were “manipulated” to make it look like Osama Bin Laden was responsible for them and allow the West to go to war in Afghanistan, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed in a 2003 article, it has emerged.

“The violence was wrong on all sides and I have said so all along”.

McTernan and other centrists think it will have the opposite result.

If said grassroots were to reiterate their commitment to disarming Britain with a conference resolution, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to suggest that it become party policy.