A CALL by the Scottish National Party to scrap the Trident nuclear deterrent has been defeated by a huge margin in the House of Commons.

The opposition day motion was defeated by 330 to 64, following several hours of debate.

A total of 20 Labour MPs defied Jeremy Corbyn in voting in the debate as they had been ordered to stay away or campaign in the Oldham by-election.

Some 14 Labour politicians - including John Woodcock, MP for Barrow and Furness, the MP for Copeland, Jamie Reed, and ex-leadership contender, Liz Kendall - voted with the Tories in support of Trident against the SNP opposition day motion.

Six Labour MPs backed the SNP proposal, a position in line with Mr Corbyn's personal thinking but against official Labour policy.

In the debate, defence secretary Michael Fallon said Labour's "shambles" over Trident would provide comfort to Britain's enemies as he appealed to Opposition MPs to renew the political consensus on renewing the nuclear deterrent.

Mr Woodcock assured the government that Labour MPs would back Trident renewal.

He said: "I can give you the pledge that Labour MPs will help you get through the programme that we started in government."

During the debate, Mr Reed said: "The expertise amassed over 70 years in Copeland and throughout west and south Cumbria has cemented our place as world leaders in nuclear technology and knowledge.

"Maintaining these skills and this expertise is crucial to the economic well-being and growth of my constituency."