Jeremy Corbyn clashes with military chief over Trident comments

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has found himself embroiled in a row with the UK’s most senior member of the Armed Forces, after the army boss yesterday waded into the political debate over Trident renewal.

Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nicholas Houghton said it would “worry” him if someone with Corbyn’s beliefs found themselves in a position of power, an intervention that Corbyn said was “a matter of serious concern”.

Asked about Corbyn’s comments that he would not sanction the use of Trident, Houghton replied: “It would worry me if that thought was translated into power. The reason I say this – and it’s not based on a personal thing at all – is purely based upon the credibility of deterrence. The whole thing of deterrence rests upon the credibility of its use.”

He added: “You use the deterrent every second of every minute of every day – the purpose of the deterrent is you don’t have to use it because you effectively deter.”

But Corbyn hit back angrily at the remarks, demanding political neutrality from the military, and promising to write to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon about the issue. He said:

“It is a matter of serious concern that the chief of the defence staff has today intervened directly in issues of political dispute. It is essential in a democracy that the military remains [politically] neutral at all times. By publicly taking sides in current political arguments, Sir Nicholas Houghton has clearly breached that constitutional principle. Accordingly, I am writing to the defence secretary to ask him to take action to ensure that the neutrality of the armed forces is upheld.”

Shadow Defence Secretary Maria Eagle was also appearing on the Marr Show, and when she was asked for her immediate reaction, the Shadow Cabinet member, who backs Trident renewal, said she was comfortable with Houghton “expressing himself in those terms”.

Sources from the Defence department suggest that Houghton will not face any disciplinary actions for his comments.