Grant Shapps hit out at Labour for picking a parliamentary hopeful who does not believe in “properly defending our country”.
The Defence Secretary said the decision to select Genevieve Kitchen, who called for a ban on nuclear weapons, to fight the Wellingborough by-election shows Labour “never change their colours”.
Ms Kitchen also backed open borders and wanted a second referendum on Brexit when she was a councillor in London.
Mr Shapps said the party had a long track record of being weak on defence.
He said: “The problem with the Labour Party is they never change their colours.”
The Defence Secretary added: “Keir Starmer is a man whose shadow foreign secretary voted against the renewal of Trident so it’s no surprise they have selected a candidate in Wellingborough who also doesn’t believe in properly defending our country.
“Sir Keir, of course, is the man who twice supported Jeremy Corbyn to be leader of the Labour Party – a leader who doesn’t believe in the nuclear deterrent, wants to disband Nato, wants to sit down and negotiate with terrorists and would have failed to defend our country.
“We have a plan to defend ourselves and our allies in a more dangerous world.
Sir Keir Starmer can’t say how he would defend the nation because he has no plan.”
