Hilary Benn denies Labour coup, rules out leadership bid

Hilary Benn: 'I have absolutely no interest in leading the Labour party'

Leader of the opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn speaks with with Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn on day two of the annual Labour party conference in Brighton on 28 September, 2015 (LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Hilary Benn has denied he would be part of a "coup" against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, ruling out making a bid to become leader himself.

The shadow foreign secretary told The Guardian: “I can look you in the eye and say, no, no, no. I have absolutely no interest in leading the Labour party. And that is the truth.

"It’s a very difficult and challenging job. And I don’t want to do it.”

He also denied that defying Mr Corbyn during the debate on air strikes in Syria was a betrayal, but he told the paper there was a "bit of tension" and they were "in an awkward situation".

“I didn’t betray anybody," he said. "How could standing up for what you think is the right thing to do in these circumstances ever be betrayal?”

Mr Corbyn previously said he was "appalled" that MPs clapped, shouted and cheered Mr Benn's passionate speech in favour of bombing Isis in Syria.

Mr Benn told The Guardian he intends to debate in the Commons whether Labour should support the replacement of Trident nuclear submarines.

"We’ve got the deterrent coming up, and Jeremy knows there are people in the shadow cabinet who agree we should maintain it, and those who think we should get rid of it," he said.

"People are entitled to express their view on that subject. And on the rest, we’re going to work together.”