Osborne's £500m For Faslane Is Wrong, Says SNP

George Osborne has announced £500m for sea walls, jetties and other projects at the Faslane naval base in Scotland, securing nearly 7,000 jobs at the home of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

But critics questioned the Goverment's spending priorities and said the move suggested it would press ahead with the replacement of Trident nuclear weapons when a parliamentary vote on the issue is expected next year.

The Chancellor, who is visiting HM Naval Base Clyde, told Sky News: "This is all about keeping Britain safe."

And he described Trident and the programme ahead as "Britain's ultimate insurance policy in a more uncertain and dangerous world".

Making the announcement, he said the cash would "ensure that Faslane remains the centre of UK submarine operations for the next generation".

The 10-year spending programme, beginning in 2017, will also create thousands of new jobs, he claims.

The Chancellor said: "I'm proud to say that this Government continues to recognise that our brave Armed Forces across Britain have always been resolute in defence of liberty and the promotion of stability around the world.

"That's why I recently committed to meet the NATO pledge to spend 2% of our national income on defence every year of this decade. A strong and secure country is vital to both our prosperity and national security.

"There will be thousands more jobs right here in Faslane, as well as across the UK supply chain. Across Scotland, around 12,600 people work in defence and my defence spending commitments will secure these jobs and provide huge opportunities for defence, security and technology companies all over the UK."

But the SNP and Plaid Cymru, who want to scrap the Trident missile system, have accused the Chancellor of "wasting billions".

The SNP's Westminster defence spokesman, Brendan O'Hara, said: "There is something fundamentally wrong with Westminster's values and priorities if the Chancellor thinks wasting billions on nuclear weapons is something to boast about when people are dying within our benefits system.

"And in defence terms too, at a time when Scotland's conventional defence footprint has never been smaller with major capability gaps, base closures and personnel numbers at an all-time low, it seems the Treasury apparently has a limitless pot to keep an unwanted and obscene arsenal of nuclear weapons afloat.

"Investment in Faslane is welcome - but it must be as a conventional base - and not more money spent on weapons of mass destruction."

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood AM said: "Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for Trident to be scrapped altogether. It is perverse to claim that billions should be spent on outdated weapons of mass destruction when so many are being hit by welfare sanctions and struggling with stagnant wages."

Faslane, around 40 miles from Glasgow, is home to missile-carrying Vanguard submarines and recently welcomed the third of seven planned Royal Navy Astute class attack submarines.

The Ministry of Defence is also expected to base the Successor class on the Clyde when they come into service from 2028, with crews and engineers potentially calling Faslane home until at least 2067.