Remove Trident from Scotland, says SNP

Trident - credit PA

UK ministers must work with the Scottish Government to arrange the withdrawal of Trident from the Clyde, says Angus Robertson.

The SNP’s leader at Westminster said retaining nuclear warheads at the Faslane naval base would be “democratically unacceptable”.

Monday night’s Commons vote saw 472 in favour of retaining the UK’s nuclear facility, to 117 against.

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Just one out of Scotland’s 59 MPs voted to renew the weapons, the Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell.

Angus Robertson said Scotland had “consistently” been opposed to nuclear weapons.

“On becoming Prime Minister Theresa May claimed that she wanted to govern in the interests of all nations and people in the UK – if that is true she must now make clear she respects Scotland’s decision.
 
“The UK government must work with the Scottish Government to ensure the earliest safe withdrawal of nuclear warheads from Scotland, and to discuss the retention and diversification of HMNB Clyde as a conventional naval base.”

Members of the SNP and Scottish Labour have opposed renewal at party conferences, while a vote in the Scottish Parliament last November saw MSPs vote by a majority of 96 to 17 against.

However, an ICM poll for The Scotsman in May found the Scottish public evenly split on Trident, with 43 per cent backing maintaining the facility to 42 per cent opposed.

Scottish Conservatives MSP Jackson Carlaw said: “For all but one of Scotland’s MPs to vote against Trident today is unrepresentative of Scottish public opinion, which is at the very least divided on retaining Trident.

“It puts Scottish MPs at odds with at least half of the electorate.”

Carlaw also cited the importance of Faslane to jobs and security. Prior to the vote he tweeted: “Tomorrow Scotland's self-styled 'protectors' will vote against Scottish jobs and UK security. Don't let them tell you otherwise.”

During Monday’s Commons debate former Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker - one of 140 Labour MPs to back the upgrade to Britain's nuclear weapons - attacked the SNP’s stance as “ludicrous” and “contradictory” because the party had proposed membership of NATO after Scottish independence. 

He said: “[The SNP] are not prepared to accept British nuclear weapons, but they’ll accept the American nuclear umbrella in NATO. That’s the sort of thing they’ll do.

SNP Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson Joanna Cherry responded by saying “the majority of NATO members do not have an independent nuclear deterrent”.