Prime Minister Theresa May was told about Trident missile test
The Government continues to refuse to confirm whether a missile malfunctioned amid claims of a cover-up.
Tuesday 24 January 2017 15:23, UK
The Prime Minister was told about last year's Trident missile test when she came into office, Downing Street has confirmed.
Theresa May's official spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny reports a missile malfunctioned during the test, saying only that the PM was told the operation was completed successfully.
Mrs May refused to answer questions on Sunday over what she knew about the test, amid claims there has been a cover-up of the incident.
On Monday she said she had "absolute faith" in Trident.
"I'm regularly briefed on national security issues, I was briefed on successful certification of HMS Vengeance and her crew," she said.
"We don't comment on operational details for national security reasons."
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon was forced to go to the Commons to face questions on the issue.
He told MPs that a demonstration and shakedown "concludes each time with an unarmed missile firing".
Sir Michael said: "HMS Vengeance successfully concluded that shakedown operation."
A spokesman for David Cameron, who was Prime Minister when the test took place, said: "As Downing Street has said, there is no set approach to publicising military operations of this nature.
"It would not be appropriate to comment further on such military tests for obvious reasons of national security."
The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that a Trident II D5 missile veered off course after being launched from HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida in June.
The timing of the alleged failure is significant because it happened weeks before Parliament voted to spend £40bn on new Trident submarines.
The vote happened days after Mrs May became PM, and beforehand she set out the case for renewing the Trident system in a Commons speech in which she did not mention the test.
Mrs May's official spokeswoman told reporters at a regular Westminster media briefing that the PM was briefed on the "demonstration and shakedown" operation undertaken by the submarine when she came to power.
She was told the operation was successful, allowing Vengeance and its crew to return to service.
The spokeswoman went on to say that the Government did not publicly discuss the operational details of these kind of exercises.
This line was echoed by Business Secretary Greg Clark on Sky News earlier, despite the fact that tests in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012 were all publicised.
When asked whether Mrs May had been told of the result of the test before the Commons vote, her spokeswoman said: "The Defence Secretary and the Prime Minister are routinely informed when one of these specific 'demonstration and shakedown' operations are planned and on the outcome of them.
"In this instance, that was in June so it was under the then Prime Minister (David Cameron). On taking office, the current Prime Minister was briefed on a range of nuclear issues, including this.
"We have been clear that the submarine and the crew were successfully tested and certified.
"That was the purpose of the operation.
"What is also clear is that the capability and effectiveness of the Trident missile is unquestionable."
A member of Mr Cameron's media team has told Sky News it was "entirely false" to suggest the former Prime Minister had been involved in any sort of cover-up.
Conservative MP Dr Julian Lewis, who chairs the Defence Select Committee of MPs, told Sky News the blame for the alleged cover-up rested with Mr Cameron and not his successor in Downing Street.