SCOTTISH Labour are facing calls to clarify their stance on the UK’s nuclear weapons after Anas Sarwar appeared to pull a unilateral U-turn at First Minister’s Questions.
Speaking at Holyrood on Thursday, the Labour group leader called for First Minister John Swinney and the SNP to reverse their stance on Trident – the UK’s nuclear weapons system which is housed on the Clyde.
The SNP oppose nuclear weapons and oppose renewing Trident, want to see the system removed from Scotland, and support an international treaty banning the bomb.
Previously, Scottish Labour’s membership passed a motion opposing the renewal of Trident – and in 2021 Sarwar backed it despite Keir Starmer’s support for the policy.
“In Scotland we have the right to make our own choices on reserved policy as well as devolved policy as part of an autonomous party . . . We passed a motion in Scotland that we would not support the renewal of Trident and I have no intention of reopening that debate,” he said soon after becoming Scottish Labour leader.
However, Sarwar has now suggested that he supports the UK’s nuclear weapons being renewed.
Speaking at FMQs, the Scottish Labour leader said: “Global events are reshaping the world before our eyes. This is a generation defining moment, and all political parties and both of Scotland's governments must adjust to this new reality and rethink previous red lines.”
“Grown up serious politicians must rise to this generation defining moment and be willing to reexamine previous red lines.
“Our defence industry is worth £3.2 billion every year to the Scottish economy. It directly supports 33,000 jobs, but this SNP Government's approach to Scotland's defence sector has been at best uncomfortable and at times hostile.
“And my fear is that while the world has changed, the SNP have not. We must all rise to this moment and ensure we are never at the mercy of dictators like [Russian despot Vladimir] Putin.
“So will John Swinney reexamine his red lines, support our defence sector, ensure our energy security, and back our nuclear deterrent?”
Swinney, in his response, stood by the SNP’s opposition to nuclear weapons – as he did last week when the party’s former Westminster leader Ian Blackford called for a policy rethink.
The First Minister said: “I think it's important that we have the defence forces and requirements that are necessary for our times, and I would simply point out to Mr Sarwar that there are nuclear weapons that are held by a number of countries just now, and it has not stopped the conflict that is taking place in Ukraine at this very moment.
“And what we need to have to be able to ensure that we can repel Russian aggression is to have effective conventional forces.
“Now, the conventional forces of the United Kingdom, the last government in 2014, promised to increase the number of Scotland-based personnel in the regular armed forces to 12,500 by 2020. That was not met.”
He went on: “Nuclear weapons have always been a moral abomination. It is utterly wrong for Labour to be doubling down in their support.
“But now, even those who have supported Trident in the past must surely realise that the US is not a reliable ally, and it is simply unsafe to continue nuclear cooperation with them.
“We urgently need to move away from the extremist Trump administration, but maintaining these weapons of mass destruction would leave us tied to him and his dangerous foreign policy.”
Asked for clarity, Scottish Labour said: "Yes we support the UK’s nuclear deterrent."
The UK's four Vanguard-class nuclear submarines are all now beyond their initial 25-year lifespan. The first of the four replacement Dreadnought-class submarines, which are costing some £41bn, is due to enter service in the early 2030s.
The news comes after Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, the Labour Government’s representative north of the Border, performed a sharp U-turn on his own opposition to nuclear weapons.
Despite having advocated for complete nuclear disarmament in February, Murray this month agreed with a Labour MP that scrapping Trident would be “reckless” and “significantly threaten” national security.
Murray later added: “Scotland needs all its political leaders to proudly stand up for our defence industry.
“Scotland has led the UK on defence, it’s been home to its nuclear deterrent since the 1960s.”
