SNP's ‘student politicians' snub submarine welding centre

Times

7 hours ago

Sir Keir Starmer's government is expected to step in to fund an ambitious defence facility on the Clyde after the SNP's 'student union' politicians refused grant funding on ideological grounds.
A £2.5 million grant from Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency, for a submarine welding centre was withheld due to a party ban on 'munitions' funding.
Rolls-Royce, which is ready to support the project by providing £11 million worth of specialist equipment, expressed 'dismay' at the news last week. It said the project had been classified as a 'munitions' scheme solely on the basis that it would 'support the construction of naval vessels'.
• SNP ban on 'munitions' funds puts Scottish shipbuilding on the line
In a letter seen by The Times, Steve Carlier, president of submarines at Rolls-Royce, warned John Swinney, the first minister, that the project 'cannot continue' without the public funding and was at risk of being formally cancelled within days.
The funding, which Scottish Enterprise said had not been formally applied for, is believed to have been rejected as the Scottish government's definition of 'weapons or ammunition' would include a 'military submarine', rather than directly relating to any arms.
Rolls-Royce has disputed that it is a 'munitions' company. All UK military submarines are powered by nuclear propulsion, regardless of whether or not they have the capacity to carry nuclear weapons, and Rolls-Royce technology is not used for firing warheads.
John Healey, the UK defence secretary, told The Sunday Show, on BBC1 that he could 'hardly believe' a Scottish nationalist government would stand in the way of skills development in Scotland.
He said: 'We have a long-term partnership with Rolls-Royce who are central to some of the military equipment that keep us all safe. Rolls-Royce want to set up a new welding skills centre, not just to support its munitions business but also to support Scotland's shipyards [to offer] essential skills, new opportunities for young people.
'If the Scottish SNP government won't step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland then we will. It really strikes me as student union politics. This is not a serious government concerned about the opportunities for young people in the future or the skills base for Scotland, or indeed the industry and innovation for the future.'
The SNP also has an ambition to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, which are based at Faslane naval base on the Clyde.
Healey added: 'This is a deterrent that for over 70 years has been our guarantor of security in the UK. It is what Putin fears most and the UK is the only country that commits its nuclear deterrent in full to the defence of our Nato allies. Strong deterrence is required and vital to keep people safe in the future.'
• Most Scots want to keep UK's nuclear deterrent, poll shows
Britain is also engaged in highly sensitive talks to purchase fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons, in a major expansion of the deterrent intended to counter the growing threat posed by Russia. The move would represent the biggest development in the UK's deterrent since the Cold War and a recognition that the world has entered a more dangerous nuclear era.
Healey would not reveal where the new fighters would be based but the prospect of nuclear-armed jets being deployed from RAF Lossiemouth, or on manoeuvres at the air force's ancillary training and support bases in Scotland, will incense the SNP and its core anti-nuclear supporters.
Mairi Gougeon, the Scottish rural affairs secretary, told the BBC that the welding centre was never eligible for funding thanks to the 'long-standing' policy of the SNP government.
She said: 'I think the key difference here between ourselves and the UK government is that when we have principles, we stick to them.'
Gougeon said Scottish ministers 'completely understand' the 'really unprecedented threats' the UK faced on the world stage and confirmed the SNP supported the increased defence spending announced by the prime minister.
She added: 'That doesn't mean that we can't also still maintain the policy positions that we've had for quite a long time and have been long standing within our party, that we don't support the use of public finance for the manufacture of munitions and neither do we support that for nuclear weapons.'
A Scottish government spokesman said: 'We are committed to ensuring Scotland is the home of manufacturing innovation, but the Scottish government's long-standing policy position is that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions.
'We recognise the important role of the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors in the Scottish economy and we regularly engage with a range of companies, alongside ADS Scotland as the industry body.
'We are investing up to £2 million to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow city region, designed by the Clyde Maritime Cluster in partnership with Skills Development Scotland.
'The Scottish government has yet to see the detail of the Defence Spending Review, but we remain firmly opposed to the threat, use and basing of nuclear weapons as a deterrent in Scotland.'