The Tory attack on Miliband over Trident is nonsense

Several papers have splashed on a story that the Tory Defence Minister Michael Fallon has attacked Ed Miliband – in quite unpleasant and personal terms – accusing him of planning to “barter” away Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines.

Now I’m not sure where I stand on Trident. I’m no fan of nuclear weapons. I think in many ways they’re a Cold War relic, unsuited to the threats from non-state actors and rogue states. That said, increased hostility between Britain and its allies and other major (often nuclear) powers – I’m looking at you Vladimir – mean it’s not unreasonable to want to maintain that deterrent.

But unlike me – and unlike the many people in the Labour Party who oppose nuclear weapons – Ed Miliband isn’t equivocal at all, which makes Fallon’s attack patent nonsense.

Here’s Miliband in the Sunday People just this weekend:

“We should keep our independent nuclear deterrent. And it’s got to be a continuous at sea deterrent. I respect people who want to get rid of nuclear weapons but I totally disagree with them. Trident is the most cost-effective option in an uncertain and unstable world.”

And if Fallon didn’t see that in the People, we’re sure he’ll have seen Ed Miliband’s debate notes over at their attack site  Sun Nation. Here’s the section (which Miliband didn’t get to use in the TV debate but which the Sun helpfully printed):

Perhaps all of this reading was a bit too much to expect of Fallon – he’s a senior Cabinet member and a busy many after all. But presumably he – like most of the political world – watched the Cameron and Miliband TV interviews with Jeremy Paxman, where he could have heard this exchange:

PAXMAN: What about Alex Salmond’s other types of blood money that he would like to exempt or exert from Engand? What about for example a promise not to recommission Trident, perhaps move it out of Scotland, would you go along with that?

MILIBAND: No

Miliband has pledged on numerous occasions to maintain a continuous at sea nuclear deterrent. But as Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker said last night – the Tories are using “the language of smear”.