John Swinney has warned Scotland could face “budget reductions” to pay for increased spending on the UK’s defences.
While the Scottish First Minister welcomed the UK Government’s delayed defence investment plan (Dip) he said the “enormous investment” made in nuclear weapons made it “more difficult” to strengthen the country’s conventional forces.
The SNP leader responded after outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stressed the UK had to be able to deter any potential enemies.
The Prime Minister acknowledged some other areas of Government spending would have to be cut in order to fund defence commitments going forward.
But he stressed: “When the world is arming and aggression is rising, the best way to avoid war is to prepare for it.
“The best way to defend is to deter, to have the strength to make your adversaries think again before they act. And that is what we are doing.”
But with former defence secretary John Healey having quit the Government in the run-up to the Dip’s publication, Mr Swinney said that the document “falls short of the ambition that was previously promised”.
The First Minister – who was briefed by UK ministers on the proposals – added: “We are still to receive full details of the budget reductions for Scotland that will be required to pay for this.
Annual defence spending will increase from £54 billion when Labour came to power to £80 billion by 2029, Sir Keir said.
Speaking during a visit to a drone company in Berkshire, he added that the plan reverses the “corrosive hollowing out” of the armed forces.
Over the next four years a total of £298 billion will go towards defence investment, with this including an extra £15 billion announced on Tuesday.
But this falls short of the additional £28 billion military chiefs had reportedly requested, and questions remain over whether the Dip will be enough to protect the country.
The plan sets out some £64 billion for the renewal of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which is based at Faslane on the Clyde, including for new submarines.
Meanwhile, around £5 billion will go to fund a “drone transformation” of the armed forces, drawing on the lessons of the war in Ukraine.
And there will be £11 billion for munitions and weapons to build up stockpiles and ensure the armed forces have the shells, bombs and missiles they need.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “Scotland’s world class defence sector will directly benefit from the UK Government’s defence investment plan.
“From the naval shipbuilding expertise on the Clyde and at Rosyth, to our nuclear deterrent and submarine support at Faslane, to our world-leading strengths in cyber, space, advanced radar and electronic warfare, Scotland’s diverse and capable defence sector will continue to deliver the capabilities our armed forces depend on every day.”
Mr Alexander said: “The UK Government’s Defence Investment Plan will make Britain safer at home, stronger abroad and deliver a defence dividend for Scotland with opportunities for communities across the country.”
Mr Swinney said it was “absolutely vital that conventional military capabilities are enhanced”, but he added that this was “made ever more difficult by the enormous investment made by the UK Government in the Trident nuclear weapons system”.
However the First Minister said: “With our skilled workforce, strong industrial base and culture of innovation, Scotland is well placed to attract economic investment in cutting-edge defence and technology programmes that will keep our nation safe.”
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