THE UK GOVERNMENT has said increased defence spending will boost small Scottish businesses – sparking warnings from anti-war campaigners.
Ministers have introduced plans to make sure that more small and medium-sized businesses benefit from money spent on weapons and other military kit.
Defence spending is poised to hit 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027, fuelled by a controversial cut to the international aid budget.
New targets will mean that more of the Government defence budget is spent with small and medium-sized businesses, which currently only receive around 4% of the total.
It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced over the weekend that £2 billion taken from frozen Russian assets would be used to fund weapons for Ukraine as European leaders met in London to hash out a response to developments in the war against Russia.
This comes in addition to a £1.6bn finance deal announced at the weekend to allow Ukraine to buy more than 5000 missiles.
Despite a heated confrontation with US president Donald Trump in Washington DC on Friday, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the BBC he was willing to sign a deal with the Americans.
The deal would see America given the rights to exploit Ukraine’s natural resources, including its rare minerals and energy reserves.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray (above) said: “This new UK Government support for small and medium enterprises follows our commitment to significantly increase spending on defence to protect our own and European security. The consequence is a huge boost for Scottish businesses, workers and the economy.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer added: “Increasing our investment in defence is not only bolstering our national security, it is an opportunity to put more money into working people’s pockets and boost economic growth.”
But the announcement sparked warnings from anti-war campaigners.
David Mackenzie, secretary of the Secure Scotland group, said: “We really need to stop and think. We should be talking about how to get off the slippery slope, instead of pointing out the grubby economic gains.
“Surely as Scots we want for ourselves and our future a better vision, based on promoting peace, working for our common global security, rather than helping to inflame an already dangerous situation.”
Lindsey German, the chair of the Stop the War Coalition, accused the Scottish Government of "militaristic footsteps of Keir Starmer", after First Minister John Swinney said he backed plans for UK troops to maintain a "peacekeeping" force in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Arguing that Starmer's pledge to boost defence spending was a "political sop to Donald Trump", German added: "Spending on arms increases insecurity as it builds a dangerous arms race. We already spend billions on Trident, stationed in Scotland. This is supposed to be a nuclear 'deterrent'.
"Scottish people would be better off without this submarine system, and without the jingoism and warmongering promoted by Starmer."
