North Korea has accused Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, of behaving "pig-headedly" in his opposition to the North's nuclear weapons programme and of "impugning the dignity of our supreme leadership”.

It also claimed that the minister is "ignoring the cause of the evil and dancing to the tune of the US".

In a commentary carried by the state-run Korea Central News Agency, an unnamed official of the Korea-Europe Association said Mr Fallon's comments "can never be tolerated".

Pyongyang's criticisms come after Mr Fallon welcomed Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of Nato, to the Faslane naval base on September 29 to mark the 350th sortie by a Royal Navy nuclear submarine from the facility.

Mr Fallon said the UK's nuclear deterrent "remains our only defence against the most extreme threats to our way of life".