PRIME minister Theresa May and her government should "stop being evasive" after ministers were accused of covering up a failed missile test.
Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has called for Mrs May is to come clean over a failed test of the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Mr Woodcock has criticised the government over the alleged cover up, branding it as "not acceptable."
He said: "I think the Prime Minister and the rest of her government needs to stop being evasive about this issue, and to come clean about what they knew, and when and why they chose not to put the facts in the public domain.
"There is a suggestion of a cover up which is not acceptable."
Speaking on the Andrew Marr show yesterday, Mrs May failed to answer four direct questions on her knowledge of the test, which reportedly took place weeks before MPs approved the £40 billion Trident renewal programme in July.
Reports in The Sunday Times claim that the launch of an unarmed Trident II D5 missile from a British submarine off the coast of Florida in June malfunctioned.
Watch the video of a Trident II launch at sea
Mrs May did not mention this test in a speech to MPs before the Commons vote, in which she urged them to back renewal, leading to allegations the malfunction has been covered up.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the failed test "a pretty catastrophic error", while the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has called for "full disclosure" about who knew what when.
Labour peer and former senior Royal Navy officer Admiral Lord West added it was "bizarre and stupid" to not tell anyone about the test.
Mr Corbyn seized on suggestions the missile veered away from its intended target near Africa.
He said: "I think this failure is something that ought to pause everyone for a moment and just think what happened.
"We understand the Prime Minister chose not to inform Parliament about this and it's come out through the media some months later.
"It's a pretty catastrophic error when a missile goes in the wrong direction and whilst it wasn't armed, goodness knows what the consequence of that could have been, I think we need a serious discussion about that."
Although Mr Woodcock is calling for greater transparency over this issue, he does not believe it undermines the case for continuing the nuclear deterrent.
He said: "From what we know so far the problem seems to be a failure of news management in Number 10 rather than a failure of the Trident system. But, if there is a cover up, the government need to be held accountable."
Nia Griffith, Labour's Shadow defence secretary, said: "This report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very serious matter indeed, and we need to know exactly what happened.
"Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that today the Prime Minister chose to side-step questions on the test, and would not even tell us when she knew about the incident.
"I am demanding the Prime Minister come to Parliament tomorrow to give a full explanation to MPs."
A Government spokesman said: "The capability and effectiveness of the Trident missile, should we ever need to employ it, is unquestionable.
"In June the Royal Navy conducted a routine unarmed Trident missile test launch from HMS Vengeance, as part of an operation which is designed to certify the submarine and its crew.
"We do not provide further details on submarine operations for obvious national security reasons."
Related content:
Read about the day MPs voted to continue Britain's at-sea nuclear deterrent
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