by Conrad Landin and
Luke James in Brighton

LABOUR has given the Tories “a blank cheque” to renew Trident, campaigners stormed yesterday after delegates at the party’s annual conference voted against debating nuclear weapons.

Party leftwingers, including new leader Jeremy Corbyn, had hoped that Trident would be debated at the conference for the first time since 1993.

But the opposition of two major trade unions led to fears that an anti-nuclear motion would be lost.

Constituency delegates subsequently voted to debate housing, the NHS, the refugee crisis and mental health instead.

CND general secretary Kate Hudson said the news was “bitterly disappointing, not just for the Labour delegates and members who wanted to see that debate take place, but for many, many others around the country who wanted to see Labour stand up unequivocally against the government’s determination to rearm Britain with nuclear weapons.”

She continued: “Failure of Labour to change its policy means that in spring next year, when the government seeks Parliament’s approval for Trident’s replacement, Labour policy will be on the wrong side.

“Labour will give the Tory government a blank cheque for nuclear rearmament.”

But speaking to the BBC yesterday, Mr Corbyn, who is still listed on CND’s website as its vice-chair, suggested Labour MPs would be given a free vote on the matter.

He said it would not be “a disaster” if the party continued to be split on Trident.

“I hope to persuade [opponents in the party] that a nuclear-free world is a good thing, that fulfilling our obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and promoting a nuclear weapons convention is a good thing,” he said.

“They are all signed up to multilateral disarmament, by the way.”

When it was still expected that a debate would be timetabled, it was indicated a compromise deal would be reached where Labour’s national executive would issue a statement setting out a please-all position on nuclear weapons.

“Fudge is definitely back on the menu at Labour Party conference,” one union general secretary said yesterday.

And at a meeting of the right-wing Labour First faction yesterday, “moderate” delegates were urged to form a one-off alliance to work with anti-nuclear unions should a debate have been called.Labour First secretary Luke Akehurst urged delegates to vote for other subjects to avoid a “sterile row that we’ve had at every conference since the 1950s.”

The group also handed delegates a bulletin outside the conference centre, urging them to vote for the refugee crisis, housing, social security and the NHS in the priorities ballot.

For the first time, Labour’s national executive agreed that eight “contemporary issues” would be debated by delegates.

The four union choices were the EU, austerity, housing and the railways — but the latter was withdrawn by transport union TSSA after the ballot closed, meaning a debate will instead take place on the TV licence fee.

In previous years fewer motions have been debated if unions and constituencies opted for the same topics.

Setting out his opposition to unilateralism, Unite leader Len McCluskey said: “I understand the moral case and the huge cost of replacing Trident, especially in this era of austerity, but the most important thing for us is jobs and the defence of communities.”