LABOUR’S shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker vowed to retain Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent yesterday, despite the majority of its prospective MPs opposing the plan.

Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute, he set out Labour’s approach to defence claiming it would stand in stark contrast to that of the Tories.

Mr Coaker said that Tory failures over the last five years had led to widening gaps in the nation’s military capabilities and a further erosion of Britain’s role in the world.

But on Trident, seen as a major stumbling block to any post-election alliance with the SNP, he said: “Let me be absolutely clear: we are committed to the renewal of Trident.

“We are committed to the retention of a continuous at-sea deterrent and we will follow the advice of experts in terms of delivering that, who say that current technology means four boats.”

Mr Coaker added that Labour remained committed to “working with nuclear and non-nuclear states for a world without such weapons.”

But anti-nuclear CND general secretary Kate Hudson said: “The Labour leadership has once again shown it is out of step with public opinion — and indeed their own candidates’ views — on Trident.”

A CND survey of over 700 parliamentary candidates from across all the main political parties showed that 75 per cent of Labour candidates oppose Trident renewal.

Ms Hudson added: “It’s time for Labour to wake up to this huge public opposition to Trident, which is no surprise when annual spending on our current nuclear weapons outstrips the annual funding gap facing the NHS.”