THE SNP need to start thinking seriously about what defence will look like in an independent Scotland and not just talk about opposition to Trident, an MP has insisted.
Stewart McDonald, the party’s defence spokesperson at Westminster, told members at a conference fringe event the SNP need to have a “robust discussion” about how Scotland can be a serious security partner in Europe, which he claimed should go beyond talks about being against nuclear weapons.
The packed event – titled Ukraine and the Future of European Security – saw delegates and members discuss the conflict in Ukraine and the wider threat to European security, which included talks on what being a security actor might look like for a future independent Scotland, and how Scotland fits into Europe.
McDonald said it was important the SNP starts leaning into the subject of defence more and go beyond speaking about Faslane.
He said: “We need to think seriously about Scottish independence and where we fit into Europe, and then we need to talk a lot more about it.
“If we want Scotland to be a serious security partner, a security actor that defends its own territory, but crucially works with other like-minded democracies, we have to have more a robust discussion about that as a party.
“I think the party has to lean into it a lot more. What does Scotland as a security actor look like? Are we willing to have a debate that says with independence, we will spend 2% of GDP on defence?
“Something that the Baltic states and the Nordic states understand very well and that’s you can have good social democracy, good welfare state, but you need to have a strong defence.
“There is a line the Swedish Prime Minister used when she announced her country’s intention to seek NATO membership and she said Sweden is worth defending, and Scotland is worth defending.
“We have a job as a party to seek more opportunities to discuss defence. We talk a lot about Trident and our opposition to that and nuclear weapons, but there’s a lot more to defence than just that.”
Asked by an audience member, if Scotland can maintain its opposition to nuclear weapons if it wants to be a serious defender of European democracy, McDonald stressed it was important to get Trident out of Scotland in a “timely fashion” once independence is achieved.
He also reiterated the SNP's aim for an independent Scotland to become a member of NATO.
McDonald added: “When Scotland gets its independence, the weapons that are here in Scotland will not belong to us, they will belong to our successor state the UK.
“Our job is to see the removal of those weapons in a timely fashion. It’s not in London’s interests to have them here, because it’s unprecedented for a nuclear power to host the entirety of the sovereign capability in another state.
“I think what matters for us in terms of being serious and credible is two things. One, that we do that in a serious manner, properly negotiated. You’re probably looking at at least one treaty between London and Edinburgh.
“Second to that is to take your defence seriously and I go back to the point I made, are we going to take our defence seriously with independence? How are we going to be cooperative security ally in NATO?
“NATO is a burden-sharing alliance, so how are we going to share in that burden? That’s what’s really important.”
