Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has condemned as “irresponsible and unfounded” John Swinney’s claim that Scotland is being left “defenceless” by the UK Government.
Mr Streeting hit out at the SNP leader during a visit to Scotland on Friday, accusing the First Minister of “playing party politics with national defence and security”.
Nuclear Disarmament Row
He then went on to claim that “one of the biggest risks” to the UK’s future security is the SNP’s “white flag policy of nuclear disarmament”.
The UK’s nuclear submarines are based at Faslane on the Clyde, but the SNP has a long-standing opposition to such weapons.
With growing concerns over possible Russian aggression, Mr Swinney has repeatedly raised concerns that the waters around the north of Scotland are being left exposed.
Swinney’s Warnings
At the SNP conference earlier this month, he claimed: “In this uncertain world, what is certain is that the UK is failing to keep Scotland secure.”
He insisted the changing nature of modern warfare – where cyber attacks and drones are used – means nuclear weapons are “obsolete”.
He said that while “the UK has the means to kill millions of people in minutes”, he claimed: “Scotland’s vast coastline is left dangerously exposed.”
The First Minister repeated his warnings on Thursday, telling MSPs at Holyrood: “I think that our country is being left defenceless by the appalling approach to defence taken by the UK Government.”
Streeting’s Response
Mr Streeting however said the deployment of the aircraft carrier the HMS Prince of Wales as part of a Nato operation in the North Atlantic is “very visible proof that what the First Minister said is both irresponsible and unfounded”.
Speaking to journalists during a visit to the BAE Systems shipyard in Scotstoun, Glasgow, the Defence Secretary said: “I don’t think the SNP should be playing party politics with national defence and security, we would much rather work with them.
“In terms of the risk of leaving the UK with insufficient defence, one of the biggest risks facing that security is the SNP’s position on unilateral nuclear disarmament.
“It is by far and away the most important deterrent that we have and it is not just the UK’s deterrent, it is Nato’s deterrent.
“So any time the SNP says that a separate Scotland could be a Nato member, they have to first explain how their white flag policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament would work under a nuclear alliance.”
Mr Streeting said he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin “would be foolish enough to seek a direct war with Nato today”, but added: “What I can’t be certain of is at some point in the future he might not try, and that is Nato’s threat assessment.”
He said this is why the UK Government is “building our capability, building our defence industry, including here in Scotland, and building our alliances, so that we are strong and therefore able to deter any potential Russian threat”.
Defence Spending Plans
He told how the Labour Government is “delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war”, with plans to take defence spending up to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 included in Chancellor John Healey’s Budget this week.
Mr Streeting said such investment is being made “because we can see in Ukraine that the nature of warfare is changing, the nature of the threat is rising, so we can’t afford to stand still”.
He insisted: “The people of Scotland and people right across the United Kingdom can draw comfort and security in the knowledge that we have some extraordinary capability at our disposal across our Armed Forces, as well as our special forces, and the protection of the Nato alliance.”
The Scottish Government’s minister for Europe and external affairs, Stephen Gethins, said: “The UK Government must do more to defend us from the threats before us. It was only a few months ago that the now Chancellor resigned to make that point, and yet the new Defence Secretary is not able to explain how or when the UK Government will actually make the necessary investments in defence.
“That is because the UK has spent hundreds of billions on weapons of mass destruction, while neglecting investment that would protect us from the threats we actually face.
“The challenges raised by the First Minister in terms of security in the High North were also flagged in a Defence Select Committee report published last week that warned of ‘glaring gaps’ in the UK’s defence.
“The UK chose to scrap its entire maritime patrol fleet, leaving Scotland’s vast coastline dangerously exposed, and has chosen not to base a single offshore patrol vessel, frigate or destroyer in Scotland – requiring vessels to be dispatched from the south coast of England.”
He added: “An independent Scotland would not make those choices or leave those gaps. Our priority would be the adequate defence of our strategically important waters and our shores, as well as acting as a reliable, responsible global partner and contributing to our collective defence as an independent member of the European Union and Nato, where the majority of members do not host nuclear weapons.
“We would also strengthen defence co-operation with European partners including through the EU’s Security Action for Europe (Safe) programme, which even Canada has joined while the UK remains limited to third-party status only.”
