London: A test firing of an unarmed British nuclear Trident missile from a submarine malfunctioned last June, the Sunday Times has reported, prompting questions about why Prime Minister Theresa May did not tell parliament ahead of a vote on renewing the submarines.
The paper quoted a senior naval source as saying the missile may have veered off in the wrong direction towards the American mainland when it was fired off the coast of Florida.
It was the only test firing of a British nuclear missile in four years and came shortly before Mrs May became prime minister, the paper said.
The revelations are untimely for Mrs May, who also confirmed on the weekend that she would meet new US President Donald Trump later this week.
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Mrs May did not mention the failed test when she persuaded parliament to spend £40 billion ($65 billion) on new Trident submarines in her first major speech to parliament as prime minister in July.
Asked four times during a BBC television interview on Sunday whether she knew about the misfire before she made that speech, Mrs May repeatedly declined to answer directly.
"I have absolute faith in our Trident missiles. When I made that speech in the House of Commons what we were talking about was whether or not we should renew our Trident, whether or not we should have Trident missiles," she said. "There are tests that take place all the time, regularly for our nuclear deterrent."
The Times said Trident missiles had been test-fired only five times by UK submarines this century because they each cost £17 million.
After more than five hours of debate, parliament last year voted to rubber-stamp a 2007 decision to replace the Trident system, approving the building of four submarines to ensure Britain can have nuclear weapons continuously on patrol at sea.
Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his finance spokesman John McDonnell, who both oppose Trident, on Sunday called for a discussion on the reported misfire.
"People on both sides of the argument on Trident would have expected that to be reported to parliament and the fact that Theresa May didn't is extremely worrying and I think questions have to be asked about that," Mr McDonnell told the BBC.
In a joint statement, Mrs May's office and Britain's Ministry of Defence said the Royal Navy conducted a routine unarmed Trident missile test in June from HMS Vengeance, as part of an operation designed to certify the submarine and its crew. It did not confirm the failure.
"We do not provide further details on submarine operations for obvious national security reasons," the statement said.
Mrs May will meet with Mr Trump, whose nuclear policy remains sketchy, this week in Washington.
Britain's second female prime minister was asked about the worldwide anti-Trump women's marches on Saturday, and said that her presence as a female leader would send a strong message to Mr Trump.
"I've already said that some of the comments that Donald Trump has made in relation to women are unacceptable, some of those he himself has apologised for," she said.
"Whenever there is something that I find unacceptable I won't be afraid to say that to Donald Trump."
She told the BBC she would use Friday's meeting in Washington to discuss issues including future US-UK trading relations following Mr Trump's inauguration speech promise to put "America first".
Since Britons voted last year to leave the European Union, Mrs May's government has been keen to deepen ties with the United States and other nations outside Europe to show that Brexit will not diminish its standing in the world.
Becoming one of the first world leaders to meet Mr Trump following his inauguration will be viewed as a coup for Mrs May, who was perceived to have been snubbed by the billionaire following his election when he spoke to nine other world leaders ahead of her.
Reuters, AAP