Hoon hit by backbench fury over initial backing for 'son of Star Wars' shield

Labour rebels lined up to condemn the Government yesterday after indications that Britain will sign up to George Bush's "son of Star Wars" missile defence programme.

Three former ministers led attacks on the "crackpot" programme as Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, said the preliminary answer to the American request to upgrade the Fylingdales radar base as part of the scheme "must be yes".

Mr Hoon stopped short of giving official confirmation that Britain would agree to the American request, but indicated that work to upgrade the early warning base on the North York Moors could start within months.

He said ministers could not ignore the growing threat from missiles produced by rogue states that could pose a direct threat to Britain, adding that North Korea could test a missile capable of reaching Europe "within weeks".

"These programmes are being developed in order to threaten the delivery of mass destruction; nerve gas, toxins, biological agents or even nuclear warheads," he said.

Mr Hoon attempted to placate backbench anger at the development, insisting that any decision to approve software upgrades for Fylingdales did not commit Britain to joining the American missile defence umbrella.

Conservatives welcomed Mr Hoon's statement, but he faced anger from Labour MPs. Peter Kilfoyle, a former defence minister, said: "This slavish devotion to American policy in this area adds further to global destabilisation. In the Government's gathering rush to embrace every crackpot notion hoisted upon us by the ideologues in Washington, I'd like you to point out where the independence of thought and the independence of policy is in the British Government reflecting true British needs."

Tony Lloyd, a former Foreign Office minister, warned missile defence was "potentially so very destabilising for the whole world", adding: "The rational response of China would be to increase the number of missiles and warheads."

Glenda Jackson, a former minister for London, also expressed scepticism, asking where the Government believed a threat that would warrant an anti-ballistic missile system would emanate.