Scottish Secretary and defence minister to launch £250m Faslane investment
The upgrade will ensure the base can house the next generation of nuclear submarines.
UK Government ministers Ian Murray and Maria Eagle will visit the site on Wednesday, meeting with senior military officials, the leaders of Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute councils, and local MPs.
Scottish Secretary Mr Murray described the spending as a 'defence dividend' as he continued to talk up the economic impact of investing in the sector in Scotland, including through the Clyde 2070 programme, which will see billions pumped into the industry in the coming decades.
'With Faslane home to the nation's first and final line of defence – the UK's nuclear deterrent, it's only right that Clyde 2070 represents one of the most significant UK Government investments over the coming decades,' he said.
'It will ensure the Royal Navy can deliver the continuous at sea deterrent from a modern, efficient base which will result in a better environment for our hero submariners to live, work and train in.
'Crucially it will also create skilled jobs – including for small and medium-size firms – boost the economy and help tackle the critical skills gaps facing the country in sectors such as nuclear, construction, maritime and project management, by bringing together government, Scottish communities, industry, supply chains and academia to address the challenges.'
Defence procurement minister Ms Eagle said Scotland plays a 'crucial role' in the country's Trident nuclear deterrent, which forms the 'bedrock of the UK's defence'.
She added: 'We are today re-affirming that unshakeable commitment by launching this multibillion-pound investment to His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, which is vital to our deterrence capability.
'The initial £250 million of funding over three years will support jobs, skills and growth across the west of Scotland.
'This Government will keep the UK safe for generations to come while delivering on the Plan for Change and making defence an engine for growth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Hilarious moment Donald Trump's golf caddie appears to subtly drop ball in prime spot before he arrives to take shot
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the hilarious moment Donald Trump's golf caddy appears to drop his ball into a prime spot before he takes his shot. A video clip has emerged which shows two golf caddies alongside the US President as he drives a golf cart around Turnberry's Ailsa course, in Scotland. 6 Donald Trump is on a five-day visit to Scotland, expected to end on Tuesday Credit: Getty 6 Footage appeared to show a caddy drop the President's ball in a prime spot Credit: X / RoguePOTUSStaff 6 The US leader was enjoying a round of golf on Turnberry's Ailsa course Credit: X / RoguePOTUSStaff He donned a white USA baseball cap and was joined by his son Eric. Trump, 79, is seen being escorted down to the course, with a convoy of 20 other carts following close behind. The caddies go ahead of the US leaser and one appears to try and secretly place a golf ball on the ground. The President then gets out and claims to have made the shot himself. Trump waves for cameras on the third green at the southeast end of the course before the party moves on. One person who watched the footage circulating on X wrote: "Caddy did that so smoothly. Can only imagine how many times he's done it." "I want to know how he finds caddies to do that for him," added another. This comes as the US President arrived aboard Air Force One at around 8.30pm on Friday for his five-day private visit to Bonnie Scotland. After waving to the crowds, he was welcomed by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before being whisked to his luxury Turnberry resort 20 miles down the Ayrshire coast. Villagers waved as the convoy passed through nearby Kirkoswald and later arrived at the resort at around 9.30pm. And he wasted no time in taking to the green after being seen teeing off at the luxury resort. Several protests were planned, with opponents of Mr Trump gathering in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen earlier this week. The Stop Trump coalition has planned what it has described as being a "festival of resistance". Activists also shut down the Forth Road Bridge in South Queensferry as part of a huge protest ahead of Trump's visit. 6 Trump donned a white USA baseball cap Credit: Getty 6 The footage has circulated social media platform X Credit: Getty 6 The President was playing with his son Eric Credit: Getty Climate campaigners from Greenpeace confirmed that 10 activists abseiled from the massive 156m bridge to block an INEOS tanker. A large number of police and military personnel were seen searching the grounds at the golf resort to ensure Mr Trump's safety before he teed off. A high-profile security operation was in full swing with land, sea and air coverage from police and security services while a number of guests were checked over. Secret service agents with sniffer dogs checked bushes as snipers were positioned on a platform on the edge of the course and the roof of the hotel. Uniformed and plain clothes cops guarded all access points to the course, including roads, footpaths and the beach. Amid the search, a few golfers were also spotted at the course, enjoying an early-morning game. A number of onlookers had gathered at the entrance to Turnberry hoping to catch a glimpse of the game. But they were not let anywhere near. Police also had road closures in place, with limited access for locals and members of the media. Upon his arrival, Mr Trump told reporters: "There's no place like Turnberry. It's the best course in the world." As well as visiting Trump Turnberry, Mr Trump will later head to Aberdeenshire and visit his golf resort in Balmedie. During his stay, he will officially open his second course at Menie, named in honour of his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. His visit is expected to last until Tuesday, July 29. The President is also scheduled to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip. After landing in Scotland, Mr Trump said the "invasion" of migrants is "killing" Europe and told the leaders to "get their act together". But when asked about illegal immigration, Mr Trump said a "horrible invasion" was taking place in Europe which needs to stop. He said: "On immigration, you better get your act together. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, [we] shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe.' Mr Trump, who made a crackdown on illegal immigration a major policy in his second term at the White House, boasted: "Last month we had nobody entering our country." A massive £5million security operation has been rolled out to ensure his safety, with around 6,000 police officers drafted in from across the UK to support the efforts. We previously told how police and security services assessed fears that Trump could be assassinated during his visit to Scotland after he survived an attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last year. David Threadgold, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said "a huge amount of threat assessment and intelligence gathering' took place ahead of the visit.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Hilarious moment Donald Trump's golf caddie appears to subtly drop ball in prime spot before he arrives to take shot
THIS is the hilarious moment Donald Trump's golf caddy appears to drop his ball into a prime spot before he takes his shot. A video clip has emerged which shows two golf caddies alongside the US President as he drives a golf cart around Turnberry's Ailsa course, in Scotland. 6 6 He donned a white USA baseball cap and was joined by his son Eric. Trump, 79, is seen being escorted down to the course, with a convoy of 20 other carts following close behind. The caddies go ahead of the US leaser and one appears to try and secretly place a golf ball on the ground. The President then gets out and claims to have made the shot himself. Trump waves for cameras on the third green at the southeast end of the course before the party moves on. One person who watched the footage circulating on X wrote: "Caddy did that so smoothly. Can only imagine how many times he's done it." "I want to know how he finds caddies to do that for him," added another. This comes as the US President arrived aboard Air Force One at around 8.30pm on Friday for his five-day private visit to Bonnie Scotland. After waving to the crowds, he was welcomed by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before being whisked to his luxury Turnberry resort 20 miles down the Ayrshire coast. Villagers waved as the convoy passed through nearby Kirkoswald and later arrived at the resort at around 9.30pm. And he wasted no time in taking to the green after being seen teeing off at the luxury resort. Several protests were planned, with opponents of Mr Trump gathering in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen earlier this week. The Stop Trump coalition has planned what it has described as being a "festival of resistance". Activists also shut down the Forth Road Bridge in South Queensferry as part of a huge protest ahead of Trump's visit. 6 6 6 Climate campaigners from Greenpeace confirmed that 10 activists abseiled from the massive 156m bridge to block an INEOS tanker. A large number of police and military personnel were seen searching the grounds at the golf resort to ensure Mr Trump's safety before he teed off. A high-profile security operation was in full swing with land, sea and air coverage from police and security services while a number of guests were checked over. Secret service agents with sniffer dogs checked bushes as snipers were positioned on a platform on the edge of the course and the roof of the hotel. Uniformed and plain clothes cops guarded all access points to the course, including roads, footpaths and the beach. Amid the search, a few golfers were also spotted at the course, enjoying an early-morning game. A number of onlookers had gathered at the entrance to Turnberry hoping to catch a glimpse of the game. But they were not let anywhere near. Police also had road closures in place, with limited access for locals and members of the media. Upon his arrival, Mr Trump told reporters: "There's no place like Turnberry. It's the best course in the world." As well as visiting Trump Turnberry, Mr Trump will later head to Aberdeenshire and visit his golf resort in Balmedie. During his stay, he will officially open his second course at Menie, named in honour of his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. His visit is expected to last until Tuesday, July 29. The President is also scheduled to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip. After landing in Scotland, Mr Trump said the "invasion" of migrants is "killing" Europe and told the leaders to "get their act together". But when asked about illegal immigration, Mr Trump said a "horrible invasion" was taking place in Europe which needs to stop. He said: "On immigration, you better get your act together. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, [we] shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe.' Mr Trump, who made a crackdown on illegal immigration a major policy in his second term at the White House, boasted: "Last month we had nobody entering our country." A massive £5million security operation has been rolled out to ensure his safety, with around 6,000 police officers drafted in from across the UK to support the efforts. We previously told how police and security services assessed fears that Trump could be assassinated during his visit to Scotland after he survived an attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last year. David Threadgold, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said "a huge amount of threat assessment and intelligence gathering' took place ahead of the visit.
North Wales Chronicle
4 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Prime Minister to meet Donald Trump to discuss ceasefire in Gaza
On Monday, Sir Keir will travel to Scotland to meet the president on his golf course at Trump Turnberry, Girvan, Aryshire, where he has been playing golf since Saturday morning, and where he met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday afternoon. After a meeting, the world leaders will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen. Mr Trump will visit the UK again in September for his second state visit. On Monday, the leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. They are also expected to talk one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that citizens of both countries can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries. The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the president's administration working with Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. A spokesperson for Number 10 said it was expected they will discuss 'what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long'. The war in Ukraine will also be up for discussion with both politicians 'set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war' according to Number 10, and expected to 'reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table'. A spokesperson for the UK Government said: 'The UK and the US have one of the closest, most productive alliances the world has ever seen, working together to cooperate on defence, intelligence, technology and trade. 'The UK was the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors and has received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world. 'Businesses in aerospace and autos are already benefiting from the strong relationship the UK has with the US and the deal agreed on May 8. 'The Government is working at pace with the US to go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic and to give UK industry the security it needs, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people's pockets through the Plan for Change.'
