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Starmer is trying to rewrite history with Trident – his nuclear ‘triple lock’ is ‘triple c**k’, blasts ex-defence boss
Ben Wallace called one shadow cabinet member the "pub bore" hanging around at the end of the bar
FORMER Defence Secretary Ben Wallace launched an astonishing attack on Labour today - calling their triple lock pledge for nuclear weapons “triple c**k” and blasting them for “trying to rewrite history”.
The ex-Tory minister told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots that Sir Keir Starmer is being “fundamentally dishonest” in their promises on national security.
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The Labour leader vowed to keep the Trident nuclear deterrent and build four new submarines, maintain a continuous at-sea patrol and deliver all future upgrades needed.
But critics have been quick to point out that his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn famously said that he would never press the nuclear button - sparking concerns for the UK’s security under Labour leadership.
Wallace, who is not standing for re-election in the General Election, said Labour were offering a “magic wand” for defence issues but lacked the credibility to back it up.
He said: “Keir Starmer and his team John Healey are being fundamentally dishonest here.
“Both labour and Conservative governments over the last two, three, decades hollowed out defence.
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“There’s a lot of dishonesty going on in Labour’s pitch. Half the shadow cabinet voted against Trident.
“In making my case for more funding in 2019 I was honest about our record and honest about Labour’s record. That’s what’s missing in this campaign from Labour: honesty.”
Labour’s “triple lock” promise includes increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP “as soon as resources allow”.
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Wallace slammed the policy announcement as “triple c*ck”, telling The Sun: “It’s all made up.”
On the promise to keep Trident, he said: “I remember Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn saying he wanted to make them into a tourist attraction.
“Labour keep using this funny little phrase ‘when economic conditions allow’. We don’t say that about the health service. We should say ‘when threat demands it’.
“It’s really simple, defence funding should track threat. As threat grows, so should the funding.”
“Rishi Sunak has seen that threat - that’s why he’s changed from ‘economic conditions’ to 2.5 per cent. The threat is rising, funding needs to rise. Labour shouldn’t get away with this line and they shouldn’t get away with rewriting history.”
Wallace also took aim at Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper - saying she “hands around like the Home Office’s pub bore at the end of the bar”.
He said: “She's criticised the government for decades but when it actually comes to ‘okay Yvette,what are you going to do?’ it's no number, no figure on how they're going to do it, nothing at all except expanding MI5's obligation to now deal with organised crime.
“But if you ask people in MI5 they're horrified because it comes with hundreds of millions of pounds to expand them and they're focused on terrorism, extreme right wing, counter hostile states.
“But, you know, that's all we've had from Yvette Cooper. No answers.”
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WHAT IS LABOUR'S TRIDENT 'TRIPLE LOCK'?
SIR Keir Starmer has unveiled plans for a nuclear deterrent ‘triple lock’ which he called national security “the most important issue of our times”
The first part of the pledge is continuing with plans for four new nuclear submarines, which are being built in Barrow-in-Furness.
Secondly, Labour have promised to maintain the continuous at-sea deterrent.
The third commitment is a pledge to deliver upgrades for nuclear submarines.
Speaking this morning about the ‘triple lock’, Sir Keir said: “Just before this election, the Tories questioned this Labour Party’s commitment to national security and I will not let that stand.
“The people of Britain need to know that their leaders will keep them safe and we will.”
He added: “National security is the most important issue of our times, something which is of course always true, and which for us, if we’re privileged to serve our country, will become our solemn responsibility.”
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