Latest news with #IanBlackford
The National
6 hours ago
- Business
- The National
SNP policy should 'embrace the defence industry', say ex-MPs
The Scottish Government's current stance is not to use public money to fund the manufacturing of munitions. The Times reports that the First Minister has faced intensive lobbying, including from Holyrood backbenchers in the party, to relax the ban on such projects. And now, former Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called for investment in defence to 'kick-start the delivery of an industrial future for Scotland'. READ MORE: Inside the SNP's political strategy ahead of 2026 Scottish election Meanwhile, former SNP Westminster defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald branded the ban as a 'stupid policy'. It emerged in May that a specialist welding skills centre in Glasgow, planned by Rolls Royce, could be a risk after it was deemed to not be eligible for £2.5 million of Scottish Enterprise funding. UK Defence Secretary John Healy described the decision as 'student union politics', prompting a furious response from Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. Writing in the Times, Blackford (below) said: 'Investment in defence, though, can be a lever and transformative in itself in generating economic growth. (Image: PA) 'With the increase in defence spending requiring £60 billion-plus, it is beyond doubt that we need to make sure that Scotland gets its fair share, and I know the Scottish Government will be standing up for Scotland's interest in making it happen.' He pointed to Swinney stating that he had no objections if a company came to Scotland to set up a munitions factory, adding: 'There is a need to replenish munitions in support of the defence of Ukraine. In doing this, though, there are red lines and that means munitions supplied in the needs of strategic defence interests and never in situations such as Gaza where civilians are targeted.' 'ADS, the umbrella body for the industry, points out that the sector today employs 33,500 workers and delivers a value added of £3.2 billion, with an output per worker of £95,000,' he added. READ MORE: Home Office staff concerned over 'absurb ban on Palestine Action' 'These figures make it self-evident that there is an economic prize in attracting defence investment into Scotland.' Elsewhere, McDonald told Scotland on Sunday that the defence industry has a 'very awkward' relationship wih the Scottish Government. He branded the ban on investments relating to munitions 'a stupid policy', also criticising the restrictions in place for the Scottish National Investment Bank. 'Defence is the one industry that has enormous growth happening in it right now and that's not likely to end [any] time soon,' McDonald said. 'So why should our National Investment Bank not invest in it? 'It's entirely normal in every other country in Europe or the world for your national institutions to support your national interests, including your national security interests. "So why is the Scottish National Investment Bank not doing that? I think that's mad.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We recognise the importance of the aerospace, defence and shipbuilding sectors for Scotland's economy. Together they provide high value jobs, support across the wider supply chain and make a valuable contribution to local, regional and national economies.' 'Scottish ministers have been consistently clear on the Scottish government's long-standing policy position that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions,' they added.
Times
21 hours ago
- Business
- Times
SNP faces pressure to confront pacifists and embrace defence industry
John Swinney is facing pressure from within the SNP to confront his party's 'pacifists' and fully embrace the defence industry in Scotland. The first minister is understood to have faced intensive lobbying, including from SNP Holyrood backbenchers, to relax a ban on using taxpayers' cash to support munitions projects. The policy has led to damaging accusations of playing 'student politics' at a time of global turmoil, and there is a growing fear within sections of the SNP that continuing to defend the stance is becoming untenable. Writing in The Sunday Times today, Ian Blackford, a party grandee and a Swinney loyalist, insists 'times have changed' and investment in defence would 'kick-start the delivery of an industrial future for Scotland'. Meanwhile, Professor James Mitchell, one of the leading authorities on the SNP, warned that Swinney was at risk of repeating a historic mistake the party made in the 1970s, when hostility to defence projects was a factor in its defeat in a crucial by-election. That result, in Glasgow Garscadden in 1978 after the SNP candidate demanded a local shipyard stop building warships, resurrected Donald Dewar's political career and halted a surge in momentum for Scottish nationalism. ADS Scotland, which represents the defence sector, said it was engaged in an 'honest conversation' with the Scottish government about its policies. These also include a ban on the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) investing in organisations 'primarily engaged in the manufacture of munitions or weapons' on 'ethical' grounds, despite the need for armaments for causes such as Ukraine's defence against Russia. ADS urged the first minister to take new steps to make sure the defence industry operated in an environment of 'understanding and support' in Scotland. Any 'political hostility' or 'reticence' to back it, the body said, was 'out of step with current challenges'. The SNP's approach has come under major scrutiny since it emerged in May that a new state-of-the-art welding skills centre was at risk of being cancelled after a planned £2.5 million grant from Scottish Enterprise was axed because it was deemed a 'munitions' project. SNP ministers later admitted this had been because it would be used to aid the building of Royal Navy attack submarines. Swinney had previously insisted he would stick by the policy, with Mairi Gougeon, his cabinet minister, claiming it was based on SNP 'principles' and would not change. However, the first minister this week opened the door to a U-turn, suggesting the policy may be 'reconsidered' in light of rising global threats. Mitchell, professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said there had 'always been a strong strain of pacifism and anti-militarism' within the SNP. This dates back to the Second World War, he said, when leading figures in the then tiny party took differing positions over whether Scots should join the British war effort against the Nazis. This hardened in the 1960s, due to an influx of Labour members upset at the party abandoning the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Mitchell said the party had retained 'anti-military tendencies' ever since. While not officially a pacifist party and having endorsed Nato membership following a tight vote in 2012, which led to the resignation of some MSPs, the leading academic said there remains 'a pacifist element to the membership'. 'The current international situation creates headaches for the SNP,' he said. 'It wants to support Nato but would it support the position of increasing defence spending to five per cent of GDP? 'The SNP has managed to avoid many difficult questions and adopt a high moral tone because it has not had to answer any difficult questions. But times have changed. 'As the international situation has become more fraught, the SNP faces a repeat of the challenges it faced half a century ago in Garscadden. 'Does it support or oppose defence spending that would provide or protect jobs, or does it oppose increased defence spending?' Leading figures in the defence industry have called for the Scottish government to relax its ban, potentially relating to the definition of 'munitions' which would mean projects such as the welding centre would not fall foul of the ban. Within days of The Times revealing that the project, which Rolls-Royce had committed to supporting with £11 million of equipment, was facing the axe, the UK government agreed to step in and provide the funding instead, in what was seen as a political victory for Labour. Stewart McDonald, the former MP who was the SNP's defence spokesman at Westminster for six years, has also backed a rethink, saying it pains him to see that his party is 'not evolving with the serious times we live in'. There is concern within the defence industry that the approach of the SNP, which has embraced slogans such as 'bairns not bombs', has served to tacitly endorse serious protests at headquarters of Scottish defence firms, which have put staff in danger. A defence industry source said: 'Student politics are fine, but it's no way to either run a country or respond to global insecurity' Significantly, Swinney is believed to have been told by several of his backbenchers that they would favour a move away from the munitions funding ban, with a feeling the party has been made to look weak and out of touch following repeated attacks from Holyrood's unionist parties. The UK government's commitment to significantly boosting defence spending also has the potential to create thousands of well-paid jobs and boost the Scottish economy. The defence sector north of the border has 16,250 employees, generated £3.3 billion in annual turnover and accounted for £1.3 billion in gross value added (GVA), a measure of its contribution to the overall economy. 'The industry has been engaging at senior level in the Scottish government regularly on all matters affecting aerospace, defence and security, and have been meeting pretty much weekly, so there is an honest conversation open,' an ADS spokeswoman said. 'Ultimately, if we are to properly protect the UK then the whole of the UK needs to be involved. If we are to properly mobilise to deter Russian aggression and be ready for potential turmoil in the wider world then it needs to be all hands on deck. 'And we do believe that Scotland and the Scottish government takes its own contribution seriously and will be a responsible domestic partner in UK security.' She added: 'The incredible industry we have here is underappreciated — MSPs themselves admitted this at Holyrood recently. 'What's important is that we all have a role, including the first minister, in taking steps towards making the environment in which we all operate one of understanding and support. 'Any political hostility and/or reticence towards the defence industry feels out of step with current challenges, and indeed opportunities. 'And there is now a huge opportunity for Scotland, whether that's building satellites in Glasgow or ships on the Forth, which has the potential to provide a huge boost to the economy.' A Scottish government spokesman said: 'We recognise the importance of the aerospace, defence and shipbuilding sectors for Scotland's economy. Together they provide high value jobs, support across the wider supply chain and make a valuable contribution to local, regional and national economies.' But he added: 'Scottish ministers have been consistently clear on the Scottish government's long-standing policy position that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions.'
Telegraph
02-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Starmer savages SNP's call to scrap Trident
Sir Keir Starmer has savaged the SNP's calls for Britain to unilaterally scrap its nuclear deterrent amid the war in Ukraine and the growing threat from hostile states. The Prime Minister said Trident, based at Faslane on the Clyde, was the 'single most important' part of the UK's defence and had kept the country safe for decades. Speaking as he launched the Government's Strategic Defence Review in Scotland, Sir Keir said his 'absolutely paramount' priority was the 'security and safety' of its citizens. He contrasted his stance with the SNP's demands that the UK scraps the nuclear deterrent 'at this time of renewed threat and instability.' For decades, the SNP has supported unilaterally scrapping Trident, despite polls showing that Scots overwhelmingly support its retention. A recent survey showed 56 per cent backed the deterrent, with 22 per cent opposed. Ian Blackford, the SNP's former Westminster leader, has also said the party should support a multilateral approach to disarmament, in which the UK would only reduce its nuclear stockpile if other countries, such as Russia, did the same. In 2022, Svitlana Zalishchuk, an adviser to Ukraine's deputy prime minister, said the Russian invasion of the country 'wouldn't have started' if it had not given up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s. But John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, has recently doubled down on the SNP's demand, arguing that 'nuclear weapons have not managed to stop the conflict we are wrestling with in Ukraine'. A Scottish Government blueprint, published last year, claimed that an independent Scotland could remove Trident from Faslane as soon as possible, while also joining Nato. This is despite Nato being a nuclear-tipped alliance and Trident forming part of its 'supreme guarantee' of members' security. Era of 'renewed threat and instability' Sir Keir launched the defence review at BAE Systems Govan shipyard in Glasgow against the backdrop of the HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham, two Type 26 frigates the yard is building for the Royal Navy. The Prime Minister said: 'I think that security and safety of everyone in Scotland is paramount, absolutely paramount. 'I can't imagine anybody who seriously wants to be prime minister of this country coming to Scotland and saying that the first priority is not the safety and security of Scotland. Consider the consequences of somebody as prime minister saying that.' He added: 'Remind ourselves that at this time of renewed threat and instability across Europe, the SNP 's position is to get rid of our nuclear deterrent, the single most important part of our capability that has kept Scotland and the United Kingdom safe for many, many years.'
The National
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
I will not be waving a Union flag to mark 80th anniversary of VE Day
To me it's the hypocritical act of a foreign power. Just as with the annual Remembrance Day observance illusion at the Cenotaph, the intervening years suggest that no lessons have been learned. Wars have begat wars. The powerful have got more so, the poor remain poor. And global and national aggression and exploitation is no less than it was before the last World War. READ MORE: Reform clarify flag ban plans after county outcry Now we are subjected to witnessing another mass display of political hypocrisy, having to face the furious warning of the Union flag that I abhor as an oppressive symbol of domination over me and my fellow Scots, our democratic right to determine our future arbitrarily denied. Where is our freedom? We hear speeches by establishment emissaries whose role is to remind us how grateful we should be to live under the 'glorious' yoke of this Britain, which really means England. The monarch, that human symbol of Britain's ingrained gross inequality, is paraded as the lynchpin of everything that is 'great and good' in 21st-century Britain. Meanwhile the veterans are wheeled on stage left, patronised, and then shunted off stage right. READ MORE: Ian Blackford: The SNP are not and never have been ethnic nationalists And the mainstream media whip up this 'patriotic' fervour to reinforce the real political and economic power behind the British state that their very existence depends on them maintaining. To those veterans and their fallen comrades, I give eternal thanks. Their immortality is assured by us remembering them. But I choose to remember within my heart; and the difference with the formal celebrations is that I will not do so for show, I will mean it. My view would perhaps be different if I thought for one nanosecond that the speeches being made were in earnest, there was a real determination not to repeat the follies of the causes of World War Two. However, who doubts when looking at the state of current affairs that lessons have not been learned, that we are set to repeat the follies of history, and the inexorable rise of the triumphalist far right is the touchpaper to ignite the fuse, aided and abetted by a population that has taken its eye of the ball and allowed itself to be diverted into myriad side issues? READ MORE: John Swinney speaks out as Israel plans to 'capture and hold' Gaza Over 300 years the British state has succeeded in generating a torpor in the minds of many Scots, who are now so inured in this iniquitous unequal union that we are in danger of succumbing to its many political and economic follies forever. We have missed the best chance for justifying independence with 14 years of British Tory government that assaulted us all. Ten months of this red-tory Labour government, with at least another four years to suffer, and the prospect of a far-right Reform UK government to follow fills me with dread and fear for the future. These are the reasons why I respect the veterans, but I won't be waving a British flag on May 8th. Jim Taylor Edinburgh WHEN will John Swinney et al cease slandering and defaming millions of our decent and deeply concerned fellow British Islanders who have sought rescue from disastrous 'uniparty' neoliberal Westminster UK Governments in the ranks of the Reform UK party on both sides of the Border? The misrepresentation and demonisation of this growing demographic will backfire badly for the 'continuity' unreformed SNP who continue their failure to honour the mandates given them by the Scottish people, namely to pursue the political, economic and cultural autonomy that would remove the need for Reform north of Border. I am far from a supporter of the totality of the Reform agenda, but anybody who dismisses the concerns of their adherents and some of the solutions that they have explored merely demonstrate a failure to grasp the reality of life for many people impoverished and immiserated by legacy-party malgovernance in the UK Parliament for 40 years and longer. READ MORE: Ian Blackford: The SNP are not and never have been ethnic nationalists If 'Safe Hands' John is 'very fearful' of the Reform movement then he and his SNP high heid yins would do well to reinvigorate and reconciliate a fragmented independence movement by collaborating fully with the Alba party and the popular movement at large to optimise the pro-indy majority in 2026 that could be the means to escape the UK 'far right' threat. Clinging to past glories of SNP domination of the freedom movement is to be irresponsible with all our futures. Those list seats should go to Alba where possible, and not Reform. In his Programme for Government all of Swinney's four priorities are best served by cohesion in society, and if this sense of unity of purpose could be re-established in the independence movement, our children and grandchildren would be the beneficiaries. Think on, John! Dr Andrew Docherty Selkirk GEORGE Morton (Letters, May 5) says what mainstream politicians are afraid to say: that unfettered immigration to any country is unsustainable and unworkable. His accurate take on the labelling of people who express doubts about the wisdom of mass uncontrolled immigration as 'racist' and 'far right' exposes an agenda by the political status quo here, who'd rather we didn't discuss it. My opinions have been described as 'leftist'. I like to think that's true, so please don't insult me with a 'far right' label just because, like many others, I am not convinced of the benefits of mass immigration to a country which already has so many issues to contend with. Check Glasgow City Council housing problems as an example. Jim Butchart via email
Scotsman
05-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
The secret to saving jobs and beating Reform in Scotland, according to SNP's Ian Blackford
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The green industrial strategy is the key to saving jobs and beating Reform, leading SNP figure Ian Blackford has claimed. The former SNP Westminster leader urged ministers in both administrations to develop an 'industrial strategy' - something he argued could fix an issue of growth dating back to 2008. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The report, started by Ian Blackford, focuses on how to transform Scotland's economic performance. Mr Blackford's comments come as John Swinney prepares to deliver his Programme for Government (PfG) on Tuesday - the First Minister's legislative agenda for the next 12 months. Mr Swinney has brought forward his PfG – usually announced in September – to allow for a full year before the Holyrood election. But there is significant pressure on Mr Swinney's Government to outline a clear economy plan, after the Grangemouth refinery stopped processing crude oil this week and with Scotland and the rest of the UK now dealing with increased 10 per cent tariffs on all exports to the US. Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, Mr Blackford praised some of the work done by the UK and Scottish governments, but urged them to go faster and further to fight off Reform UK. His intervention came just hours before the local elections, which saw Reform UK's Sarah Pochin beat Sir Keir Starmer's candidate Karen Shore by six votes in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election. The result meant Reform took a seat that Labour won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns was separately elected for Reform UK as the first Greater Lincolnshire mayor with a majority of almost 40,000 over her former party. Mr Blackford said: 'I want to give some credit because I know the two [Scottish and UK] governments have been working together, I know the job that [energy minister] Michael Shanks has been doing in the Labour government. I think there has been a recognition that things have to change, the pace of things has to be accelerated, and I can see that in terms of things happening with the grid, with Ofgem, these things are happening. 'But you cannot afford to do anything other than put your foot on the accelerator and do it hard. You can talk about GB Energy, but where is the beef? What is the actual delivery of investment? 'I regret that Labour reversed the £28 billion it was going to invest on a yearly basis. This is the here and now. If you want to make a fundamental difference, if you're serious about economic growth, you are not going to change it by tinkering at the edges. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If we don't move the needle now on economic growth, if we don't say to investors that we're open for business, whether it's Scotland or the UK, we're going to be in a situation that [Chancellor] Rachel Reeves has later this year, where she's going to face very difficult choices under budget. 'When you consider the last Conservative government, it was the first government in the post-war period that people were poorer at the end of it. There is a risk that people in the UK are poorer at the end of this Parliament. 'What does that mean? Because a lot of the electorate are going to be questioning whether or not they can put their faith and trust in the mainstream parties. That's what creates oxygen for people like [Nigel] Farage. Whether you're the SNP in Scotland or Labour in Westminster, accept your responsibilities of being in government and lead properly.' It's predicted that Labour candidate Michael Shanks will keep the Rutherglen seat at the next General Election after taking the seat from SNP after the Covid-19 lockdown scandal with Margaret Ferrier. | Contributed Asked how to combat Reform, Mr Blackford, who is now the SNP's business ambassador, warned Mr Farage's party was a threat in Scotland and that ministers must have a 'relentless focus on delivery.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Referencing the promising Holyrood polls for the SNP, Mr Blackford said: 'The assumption at the moment is that we would do reasonably, if not very well, in terms of the election, but what I want to do is seal the deal. I want to have a government that's recognised as competent and as delivering for people. We have to listen to what the electorate said to us last year, when people wanted to put faith in the Labour party, but also people were expressing doubts about us. 'It's up to us to say to the people there are reasons why you can trust us. We have to show them there is a brighter economic future for their children.' Mr Blackford added: 'Whatever the electoral threat of Reform is in the UK, let's not write them off in Scotland either. We have to understand the reasons why people might support Reform. They are doing it because we are not offering them an alternative. That's why the industrial strategy is so important, because it comes down to jobs, it's the basics, it's leading.' Mr Blackford, who held the seat of Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 2015 to 2024, also expressed his agreement with warnings from think-tank IPPR Scotland that a US trade deal was less important to growth and jobs than an industrial strategy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'I fundamentally agree with the IPPR. I am obviously deeply disappointed to say the least with what's happened with Grangemouth, what that means for jobs, and the people that are affected. There has been a problem for the UK, and Scotland within that, and indeed the whole of Europe about delivering economic growth since the financial crisis in 2008. 'If we're honest, the thing that is required to deal with this is delivering economic growth. For this, we need a proper industrial strategy. 'The thing that frustrates me more than anything else when all the talk is about the just transition, and all the aspects of that and what it means for energy prices, what is missed from that, is the enormous opportunity that there is to deliver green energy.' There was also a veiled swipe for his replacement as SNP Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, who has announced plans to run for Holyrood. Mr Blackford suggested Mr Flynn would not have run if still in his post, explaining the job was 'big enough' already. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'People have to make their own choices. We had a Scottish election in 2021, and one of my MPs did stand with my blessing. For me, it was a privilege of being an MP and to serve my constituents. But also crucially, I saw my role as the leader of the SNP in Westminster to work in tandem with the Scottish Government, and that was a big enough job in itself. 'I think people have to think very carefully about being elected to a Parliament and then turning their back on it, but they have to address those questions themselves.'
