More on Scotland and the Nuclear Submarine Base

Scotland’s Trident nuclear submarine bases will be decommissioned and removed “at pace” in the event of independence, the Scottish National Party has said. The UK government’s contingency plans for a Yes vote include keeping the deterrent on the Clyde by negotiating a new British Overseas Territory, a “nuclear Gibraltar”, that would include the Faslane and Coulport bases. However, this morning Stewart McDonald, defence spokesman for the SNP, ruled this out. “An independent Scotland will not be home to nuclear weapons,” he said. “With a clear cross-party majority of Scotland’s elected politicians opposed to Trident, there is no possible parliamentary arithmetic that would allow these weapons to be kept at Faslane.

Times 2nd Sept 2021
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trident-will-be-removed-at-pace-by-an-independent-scotland-g5tgmtz8n

iNews 2nd Sept 2021
https://inews.co.uk/news/scotland/trident-snp-greens-rule-out-deal-to-keep-nuclear-weapons-in-scotland-1180342

Herald 2nd Sept 2021
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19554496.trident-westminster-cannot-nuclear-guantanamo-independent-scotland/

For decades opposition to Trident has been central to the SNP’s identity. In campaign after campaign the party has promised that among the first acts of the nationalist leader of a newly independent Scotland would be signing an order compelling the Westminster government to remove the nuclear deterrent from its location in Gare Loch. However, despite this “no nukes” sloganeering playing well with a substantial section of the SNP’s support, the party has long been concerned to persuade mainstream voters that its position on Trident does not reflect a weakness on defence issues. Before the 2014 referendum the SNP dropped its opposition to Nato membership. This was a policy decision designed to soothe the nerves of Middle Scotland. A vote for independence would not be a vote to break ties with present allies. The SNP’s new position on Nato, however, created a troublesome contradiction. How could the SNP continue to be opposed to nuclear weapons at the same time as it envisaged an independent Scotland sheltering under Nato’s nuclear umbrella?

Times 3rd Sept 2021
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nuclear-options-ljtz8hvkw

Devonport dockyard could house more nuclear submarines if Scotland becomes independent. The preferred option would be to move the nuclear deterrent to the Royal Navy base at Devonport, it has been said.

Plymouth Live 3rd Sept 2021
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/devonport-dockyard-could-house-more-5864143

Trident nuclear weapons should be put on ‘permanent furlough’, says Labour MSP. Left-winger Katy Clark has called for skilled nuclear workers to be put on ‘permanent furlough’ as part of a plan to scrap the nuclear deterrent.

Daily Record 3rd Sept 2021
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/trident-nuclear-weapons-should-put-24895197