The SNP has accused Westminster of putting Scotland's safety at risk after analysis revealed sustained cuts to the UK armed forces over nearly five decades. The research, commissioned by the SNP and conducted by the House of Commons Library, shows the Army is now less than half the size it was in the 1980s.
Personnel Numbers Plummet Across All Services
When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, the UK's armed forces had around 315,000 active personnel. That fell to 210,800 by the time of the 1997 Labour government, 191,710 when the Tories came to power in 2010, 138,121 when Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister in May 2024, and 137,966 by April this year.
The Army has been cut from 156,000 to 74,368 over the same period, the Royal Navy reduced from 73,000 to 32,516, and the Royal Air Force cut by almost two-thirds from 86,000 to 31,082, the SNP said.
Personnel Based in Scotland Also Reduced
The analysis found the number of armed forces personnel based in Scotland fell from 19,016 in 1979 to 9,740 in 2025. The number of Royal Navy ships dropped from 89 at the turn of the millennium to 57 by 2025, destroyers from 11 to six, frigates from 21 to 11, and submarines from 16 to nine.
Defence Spending Halved as Share of GDP
Overall, defence spending has been cut in half as a proportion of GDP between the 1980s and today. In 1979, spending was 4.6% of GDP, falling to 2.7% by 1997, 2.5% by 2010 and 2.4% by 2025.
SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said: “The Labour Government is failing to take national security seriously enough following decades of Westminster cuts to our armed forces, which have left the UK increasingly vulnerable. Every Labour Party and Tory government, for more than half a century, have made increasingly deeper cuts to our armed forces – slashing the size of the Army, Navy and RAF, reducing Scottish regiments, depleting equipment, and cutting the number of combat vehicles, naval ships and aircraft. By failing to deliver the investment needed, Westminster is putting Scotland’s safety at risk. Keir Starmer lost two defence ministers, and his own job, over his long-delayed and underfunded plans. As he heads to the exit door, it is vital that the next UK prime minister urgently gets a grip, delivers the investment required and ensures Scotland gets its fair share. The SNP has consistently called for more investment in conventional defence capabilities, and more support for our forces, but instead Westminster has decimated them. At a time of global crisis and instability, we cannot afford any more Westminster dithering and delays. As Scotland marks Armed Forces Week, the SNP is urging the UK Government to finally deliver the funding our armed forces need.”
MoD Responds
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “Scotland is a defence industrial powerhouse. In 2024/25, the MoD directly spent more than £2 billion in Scotland, supporting 11,800 industry jobs and investing in world-class shipbuilding, electronic systems and submarine technology which protects our personnel and allies. Scotland’s biggest shipyards are full as a direct result of the significant programme of work we have under way. Recent years have seen over £700 million invested to improve infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth in order to support the operation of Typhoons, P-8 Poseidon, and Wedgetail.”
