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Michael Fallon accused of keeping MPs in dark over Trident failure Michael Fallon accused of keeping MPs in dark over Trident failure
(about 1 hour later)
Michael Fallon was accused by MPs of keeping parliament in the dark about the failed Trident missile test, as it emerged that a US official had told CNN that it had been forced to self-destruct. Michael Fallon was accused of keeping parliament in the dark about last June’s failed Trident weapons test, as he refused to confirm reports that a malfunctioning missile with the potential to carry a nuclear warhead was forced to self-destruct in mid-air off the US coast.
In a Commons statement, the defence secretary refused to provide further information about the incident, saying it was important not to reveal operational details of the test for reasons of national security. The defence secretary refused to reveal details of the incident, or even confirm that it had taken place, in the face of questions from MPs about the incident. He cited reasons of national security as he also declined a request from parliament’s defence committee to give evidence in private on the matter on Tuesday.
He stonewalled a succession of questions from Labour, SNP and Conservative MPs, who demanded to know why they had not been told about the failed test before being asked to renew the £40bn Trident system in a parliamentary vote last July. Fallon was sent out to make the case for maintaining military secrecy in the Commons, shortly after Downing Street was forced to admit that Theresa May had kept the details of the test from MPs when asking them to vote for the renewal of the £40bn Trident nuclear deterrent.
But as he spoke, CNN published a report citing an unnamed US official, who said the British missile was diverted into the ocean to self-destruct – an automatic procedure when electronics detect an anomaly. No 10 acknowledged that May had been made aware of the situation when she became prime minister in July – a week before parliament voted to approve to the renewal of the nuclear weapon. On Sunday, May declined to say what she knew about the apparent error on four separate occasions when interviewed on the subject during BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show.
It prompted a Labour MP to challenge Fallon on why US officials know more than the British public about failed test. Pressed repeatedly for details about the incident, Fallon said: “I don’t believe in greater transparency to this house when it comes to our nuclear deterrent.” He insisted that the Trident deterrent system was safe and effective and that he and the prime minister at the time – David Cameron – were always kept informed whenever needed.
Mary Creagh asked: “Should we believe the US official who, while we have been sitting here, has confirmed to CNN that the missile auto-self-destructed off the coast of Florida? If that is the case, why is the British parliament and the British public the last people to know?” she said. But despite his reassurances, defence sources confirmed to the Guardian that the test had gone wrong, indicating that the rocket used in June’s test launch near Florida was not heading towards the Atlantic near west Africa as intended but instead was going in the opposite direction, towards the US.
Fallon refused to answer, while trying to cast doubt on the accuracy of a Sunday Times story that first revealed that a missile test had gone wrong. It reported that there was a malfunction that may have led the missile to head back towards the US rather than its planned path towards the west coast of Africa. US broadcaster CNN reported an American official saying that the British missile was diverted into the ocean to self-destruct – an automatic procedure when electronics detect an anomaly.
Earlier, Fallon told MPs that the government had “absolute faith” in the Trident nuclear deterrent. The defence secretary said people should be cautious about “believing everything in weekend press” – referring to original reports of the missile failure – while refusing to say which elements of the story he believed to be false. The new details prompted Labour MP Mary Creagh to ask why US officials knew more than the British public about failed test.
Pressed repeatedly for details about the incident, Fallon said: “I don’t believe in greater transparency to this house when it comes to our nuclear deterrent.” “Should we believe the US official who, while we have been sitting here, has confirmed to CNN that the missile auto-self-destructed off the coast of Florida? If that is the case, why is the British parliament and the British public the last people to know?” she said.
Both Theresa May and Fallon have been accused of a cover-up because they were briefed about the Trident test before the parliamentary vote on Trident in July. But Fallon refused to confirm a Sunday Times report that the missile malfunctioned and warned people not to believe everything about the account, while refusing to say which part was inaccurate.
Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Commons defence committee, said May “should probably have spoken up” about any malfunction during last July’s debate and called for the person responsible for keeping it secret to be sacked. “Contrary to reports in the weekend press, HMS Vengeance and her crew were successfully tested and certified as ready to rejoin the operational cycle,” he said. “We do not comment of the detail of submarine operations.
UK defence sources have confirmed to the Guardian that the test firing of the Trident 11 D5 ballistic missile had failed but were keen to make the point that it had not been down to a malfunctioning on the part of the missile itself. “The capability and effectiveness of the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent is not in doubt. The government has absolute confidence in our deterrent and in the Royal Navy crews who protect us.”
The missile test took place while Cameron was prime minister, around the time of the EU referendum, but his former communications chief, Sir Craig Oliver, vehemently denied that any of the Downing Street media team knew about the incident.
During the House of Commons debate, Fallon came under sustained pressure from MPs to confirm and investigate the incident. The shadow defence secretary, Nia Griffith, said: “The British public deserve the facts on a matter as important as Britain’s nuclear deterrent and they deserve to hear those facts from their prime minister, not in allegations sprawled across a Sunday paper.
“At the heart of this issue is a worrying lack of transparency and a prime minister who has chosen to cover up a serious incident rather than coming clean with the British public.”
The Scottish National party defence spokesman, Brendan O’Hara, said it was an “insult to our intelligence” to claim that Trident’s capability was “unquestionable”.
Fallon also refused a request from Julian Lewis, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons defence committee, to appear before the committee in private. “Obviously they have decided to batten down the hatches to use a nautical metaphor,” Lewis told the Guardian.
The government privately appeared confident that its stonewalling approach would prove successful. Its assessment, according to one government insider, is that there is no great desire on the Conservative benches to keep stoking it and that Labour did not want to play into the hands of the SNP for whom opposition to Trident is a major issue.
However, there were calls in a separate debate in the House of Lords for the government to take a more transparent approach. The former Royal Navy chief Lord West of Spithead was critical of the handling of the issue, which he said had “embarrassed” the prime minister and “given succour” to opponents of the deterrent. The failure to deal with it in “an open way has caused huge problems”, he said.
Lord Hennessy, a historian who has written books about the nuclear deterrent, even revealed he had witnessed the missile being fired from two and half miles away, although he did not know what had gone wrong.
The crossbench peer said he “very powerfully” supported the nuclear deterrent, but it “would make it much easier” to make the case if there were assurances that “a full analysis has been successfully made of whatever it was that went wrong ... and that remedies have been put in place”.
UK defence sources have confirmed to the Guardian that the test firing of the Trident 11 D5 ballistic missile failed but were keen to make the point that it had not been down to a malfunctioning on the part of the missile itself.
The finger of blame was pointed at telemetric directional data, which is the information conveyed to the missile needed to hit the target. Such a breakdown could be caused either by an error in manual inputting or a failure of software.The finger of blame was pointed at telemetric directional data, which is the information conveyed to the missile needed to hit the target. Such a breakdown could be caused either by an error in manual inputting or a failure of software.
The missile, which was not carrying a nuclear warhead, was fired by HMS Vengeance, one of the UK’s four nuclear submarines, off the coast of Florida in June last year. The target, as during the previous test in 2012, was in the southern Atlantic off the coast of west Africa but instead the missile headed off in the direction of the US and the test was aborted. The missile, which was not carrying a nuclear warhead, was fired by HMS Vengeance, one of the UK’s four nuclear submarines, off the coast of Florida last June. The target, as during the previous test in 2012, was in the southern Atlantic off the coast of west Africa but instead the missile headed off in the direction of the US and the test was aborted.
This was the UK’s 11th test since 1994 with the other 10 all successfully completed. The UK carries out fewer tests than the US on grounds of cost: each missile costs £17m. But the US, which has conducted an estimated 150 successful tests, shares data from its tests with the UK. This was the UK’s 11th test since 1994 with the other 10 were all successfully completed. The UK carries out fewer tests than the US on grounds of cost; each missile costs £17m. But the US, which has conducted an estimated 150 successful tests, shares data from its tests with the UK.
The test-firing was intended to mark the return to duty of HMS Vengeance after a four-year refit. In spite of the malfunction, HMS Vengeance received the certification saying it was fully operational the same month, enabling it to return to service. The Ministry of Defence has cited this as evidence that the malfunction was not significant. The test-firing was intended to mark the return to duty of HMS Vengeance after a four-year refit. In spite of the malfunction, the submarine received the certification saying it was fully operational the same month, enabling it to return to service. The Ministry of Defence has cited this as evidence that the malfunction was not significant.
Russian satellites would have picked up the failed missile test. Russian spy ships normally monitor such tests and the US and UK navies treat their presence as part of the show. After the 2012 missile launch, the UK received a message from one of two Russian spy ships in the vicinity congratulating them on a successful launch. Russian satellites would have almost certainly picked up the failed missile test. Russian spy ships normally monitor such tests and the US and UK navies treat their presence as part of the show. After the 2012 missile launch, the UK received a message from one of two Russian spy ships in the vicinity congratulating them on a successful launch.