Jeremy Corbyn intends to scrap the UK’s Trident nuclear programme as soon as possible, according to the founder of the Glastonbury festival, Michael Eavis. As the festival in Somerset ended on Sunday Eavis recounted a conversation he had had with the Labour leader, telling an audience on Sunday that he had asked Corbyn: “When are you going to get rid of Trident?” Corbyn, he said, had replied: “As soon as I can.”

According to the news site Somerset Live, Eavis told the audience at a Q&A session: “Wasn’t [Corbyn] fantastic? I said to him ‘when are you going to be prime minister?’” Corbyn had responded: “In six months.”

Corbyn, who has been a prominent member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, has been consistent in his opposition to nuclear weapons throughout his political career but has said he would back party policy on the matter. Though not a big departure from his established position on the issue, the comments risks reopening what some have seen as a damaging debate.

Before the election, Corbyn was pressed on whether he personally backed Trident’s renewal. “I voted against the renewal. Everybody knows that because I wanted to go in a different direction. That is the decision that’s been taken; I respect that decision going ahead,” he told the BBC presenter Andrew Neil.

When pressed further on whether or not he supported the defence, he added: “My views on nuclear weapons are well known. I want to achieve a nuclear-free world through multilateral disarmament through the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.”

Labour said the quotes attributed to Eavis paraphrased a conversation with Corbyn and did not fully reflect the leader’s position or the party’s position on Trident, which remained unchanged from the 2017 manifesto.

“Both Jeremy and the Labour party have long been committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which aims to achieve a nuclear-free world. Trident renewal is Labour policy, as spelled out in our manifesto, which Jeremy and the party were proud to stand on in the election,” the party said.