Jeremy Corbyn raises prospect of scrapping Trident

Jeremy Corbyn has suggested that a Labour government may consider scrapping Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

The Labour leader refused to say whether maintaining the deterrent would be in his party's manifesto.

Instead, he said that if he won power and became Prime Minister on June 8, he would order an immediate review into defence, which would look at "all aspects".

"We will have a strategic defence review immediately which will include all aspects of defence. We would then look at the situation at that time," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"We haven't completed work on the manifesto yet. We are having that discussion in the Labour Party and we will produce our manifesto early in May."

His comments come after prior assurances by shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith that Labour would continue to support Trident.

A Labour spokesman said later that Labour still supports the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

The Labour leader - a lifelong supporter of nuclear disarmament - said he stood by his past views on the subject.

"I have made clear my views on nuclear weapons. I have made clear there would be no first use of it. I have made clear that any use of it would be a disaster for the whole world," he said.

Asked what he would say in the "letters of last resort" written by prime ministers with their final instructions to the commanders of Britain's four Trident submarines, he said only: "A strict instruction - follow orders when given."

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said a government under Mr Corbyn would "dismantle" Britain's defences.

"This morning we learnt that Jeremy Corbyn would refuse to strike against terrorists, dismantle our nuclear defences and fail to control our borders," she said.

"Unless people turn out and vote Conservative, this man could be our Prime Minister in less than seven weeks' time - propped up by the SNP and Lib Dems in a coalition of chaos."