SNP slams Keir Starmer as he announces commitment to Trident submarines

The SNP has slammed Keir Starmer after he announced a commitment to Trident nuclear submarines.

The UK Labour leader said on Friday that the nuclear deterrent is the “bedrock” of Labour’s plan to keep Britain safe and said the submarine programme would have a "triple lock" guarantee.

He has also committed to building four new subs in the north west of England and increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.

The main base for nuclear submarines is at Faslane on the River Clyde. It directly employs thousands of people.

The SNP has campaigned for a long time to remove Trident from Scotland.

The party said Starmer's announcement was "grotesque" and would be "throwing billions more down the drain".

SNP defence spokesperson Martin Docherty-Hughes said: "Westminster has already wasted billions of pounds of taxpayer's money on nuclear weapons and expensive nuclear energy.

"It is therefore grotesque that Sir Keir Starmer is prepared to throw billions more down the drain when his Party claim there is no money to improve our NHS, help families with the cost of living, or properly invest in our green energy future.

"This money would be better spent on a raft of other things - not least investing in the green energy gold rush, which would ensure Scotland, with all its renewable energy potential, could be a green energy powerhouse of the 21st century.

"Moreover, the MOD's budget continues to be eaten away by a nuclear deterrent which undermines Scotland and the UK's resilience, and distracts from the Westminster recruitment disaster.

"With both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer focused on the wrong priorities, it is only the SNP standing up for Scotland's interests and values."

Starmer's move marks a change from when Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the party. Although Corbyn's Labour was committed to renewing Trident, it was also in favour of getting rid of nuclear weapons in the long term.

Starmer said: “The changed Labour Party I lead knows that our nation’s defence must always come first. Labour’s commitment to our nuclear deterrent is total.

“In the face of rising global threats and growing Russian aggression, the UK’s nuclear deterrent is the bedrock of Labour’s plan to keep Britain safe. A Labour government would secure a ‘triple-lock’ commitment to our nuclear submarine programme - providing vital protection for the UK and our NATO allies in the years ahead, as well as supporting thousands of high paying jobs across the UK.

“This is a generational commitment. Countless families in Barrow and across Britain have built a secure future over decades of hard work building our defences. I want that to continue for the decades to come.

“That’s why we are fully backing AUKUS submarines to be built in Barrow, too. And it’s why Labour will ensure that new UK leadership within AUKUS helps make this national endeavour a success for Britain.”

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