Jeremy Corbyn could abandon a manifesto pledge to replace the UK’s Trident nuclear submarines within weeks of being elected as Prime Minister.

Labour is committing to the renewal of the nuclear deterrent in the party’s General Election manifesto.

But Mr Corbyn today refused to commit to a like-for-like replacement of the UK’s existing complement of four submarines needed to sustain a continuous at sea deterrent as he said the system would be renewed.

He said: “The decision of Parliament was to endorse the government’s proposal for the replacement of Trident.

“That is the decision we will inherit as a Labour government and that is what the position is.

“We will also undertake a strategic defence review (SDR) as all incoming governments do looking at all aspects of our defence priorities for the future.

“But we cannot obviously decide what a review would decide otherwise you wouldn’t have a review.”