Labour should rethink criticism of Britannia replacement if they want to win an election says Defence Secretary

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that Labour's opposition to a new national flagship shows they don't understand their own constituents.

"That's Labour's problem. They're not patriotic about these sort of things, they don't understand the workforces."

"People in Barrow-in-Furness near me make nuclear submarines, they make some of the best equipment on earth, the most testing engineering. They are deeply proud of the product they make. And people in Lancashire who make aerospace kit and Typhoon, Eurofighters, and F-35 fighter jets, and they do that not just because it's a job, but because it's Britain and they're helping keep us safe."

Labour leader Keir Starmer has called the £250million project a Tory 'vanity yacht'.

'This [Labour's opposition to the plans] just sums up Labour really, what side are Labour on? Normally basket-weaving, leftie, Islington nonsense."

When reminded that the original Britannia was a cross party idea suggested by Labour, the Minister of Defence said "Labour might take a lesson from that, because they won elections in those days."

Listen to Ben Wallace's full interview on Chopper's Politics, The Telegraph's weekly political podcast using the audio player above, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.