Why UK's defence spending boost will be good for Scotland

The Faslane naval base is in my constituency, so I know first-hand the important role that Scotland already plays in the UK’s defence. It also employs thousands of people directly on the base as well as thousands more in the wider local economy.

The impact of Faslane on the Scottish economy is a reminder that our defence and our economic security are always intertwined. In the past few weeks, as the world order rearranges itself before our eyes, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has been clear that the UK must bolster its national security.

This has involved tough short-term decisions, like prioritising defence over international development commitments. But the fact is that investing in defence will also stimulate our wider economy, while modern defence is not just about conventional weapons but about our energy and economic security.

The Faslane naval base has created thousands of jobs in the area (Picture: James Glossop/WPA pool) | Getty Images

Ukraine gave up its nukes

This fact seems to have been lost on the SNP government. The SNP has long pledged to remove our nuclear deterrent, Trident, with John Swinney recently doubling down to claim that the money should be spent on conventional defence instead.

Tell that to Ukraine, which gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 in return for security guarantees from the US and Russia among other countries. Even SNP grandees can see how naïve the party’s position is, with former Westminster leader Ian Blackford noting that “when facts change”, the SNP must carefully consider its response.

The SNP can no longer bury its head in the sand. Although the events of the past few weeks may seem very remote from our day to day lives, the UK Labour Government’s armed forces minister warned as early as last November that Vladimir Putin could launch unmanned submarine fleets to disrupt our subsea cable networks.

Stronger and more secure

But if the global power struggle is coming unnervingly close to our shores, there is still an opportunity to come out of this crisis as a stronger, more secure Scotland, not just in terms of our defensive and manufacturing capabilities but in our overhaul of our skills and energy strategies.

Scotland’s energy mix will include oil and gas for decades to come, but the Labour government is already taking the steps towards turning Scotland into a clean energy superpower by creating GB Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen.

As competition between global powers takes place in economic and digital spheres, we also need to train up our workforce to be world leaders in everything from cyber security to manufacturing. It means a focus on skills — expanding apprenticeships and training to ensure Scotland leads in advanced technology.

Scottish Labour has already set out its plans to modernise our skills system, joining up schools and colleges with employers to ensure pupils have access to at least one industrial work placement.

Of course the prospect of Russian forces in the North Sea is an unsettling one, and none of us wanted to see the scenes that have played out over the past few weeks. But it appears that the world order is changing and we must therefore not compromise our security.

Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health