Whoever wins the Labour leadership, they face a split over Trident

Jeremy Corbyn's against it. Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall are for it. But it will be difficult for any of them to pull together a frontbench that isn't split.

By Stephen Bush

(Photo By A Trident submarine. Photo: Getty Images)

Jeremy Corbyn has today set out his stall on the nuclear deterrent, Trident. (Spoiler alert: he’s against it.)

His three opponents, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall are all strong supporters of the missiles. But whoever wins, Labour is headed for a split on the nuclear deterrent.

Why? Because the unsackable man, Ian Murray, the last remaining Scottish Labour MP and therefore the only candidate to be Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, is anti-Trident.

So Labour faces a choice on Trident, whoever wins: either lose Murray from the Shadow Cabinet, have a free vote, or imperil its one remaining seat north of the border.