Ministers call for assurance on plans for Scots ‘mobile brigade’

SCOTTISH ministers have called for the UK government to “provide reassurance” that MoD plans to base a new 6,000-strong army brigade in Scotland remain on track.

The call comes amid fears that further cutbacks and constitutional wrangling over the independence referendum could jeopardise the plan.

Bruce Crawford, the SNP cabinet secretary for parliamentary business, has written to Defence Secretary Philip Hammond for urgent talks, amid growing speculation that UK plans to boost Scotland’s military footprint are being watered down.

Those plans, unveiled last year by Hammond’s predecessor Liam Fox, involved moving troops from bases in Germany to Scotland where they would form one of the British Army’s five new “mobile brigades”.

The proposals envisage RAF Leuchars being refitted as an army barracks, with RAF Lossiemouth remaining as Scotland’s only RAF base.

However, in a reply to Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell last week, Hammond warned that the Leuchars proposal was “complex”, and that it was “not possible to provide specifics on the future usage of Leuchars” until work currently under way on the future structure of the army was completed. Another plan, announced by Fox, to sell off Craigiehall and the Redford and Dreghorn barracks in Edinburgh and build a new HQ at Kirknewton were now subject to a “value-for-money review”, he said.

Military analysts say the MoD is looking for further savings, with billions already committed to costly projects such as the construction of two aircraft carriers on the Clyde and at Rosyth.

With the possibility of Scottish independence also having emerged, they say this too may be coming into play as a factor in any decision.

In his letter to Hammond, Crawford says that work between the Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence on organising the reforms has “been limited”. He says the speculation surrounding the bases may now be leading to “heightened anxiety” in communities, particularly around Leuchars and could cause “potential damage to local economies”.

He goes on: “I know you will share my view that it is important that we do what we can to minimise the impact on local communities and reduce uncertainty. To that end it is important that you continue to provide reassurance that the overall commitments given in July 2011 are met, including that Scotland is to become home to one of five multi-role brigades after the rebasing of the army.”

Crawford is now requesting an urgent meeting with Hammond to discuss the plans.

Clive Fairweather, a former senior army commander, said: “The starting point here is that there is no money in the MoD. Dr Fox last year was forced to make a series of decisions in a hurried fashion. Now Philip Hammond has come in and realised there have to be more cuts.”

Fairweather said one possibility would be for the MoD to disband the regiments based in Germany, rather than bring them back to Scotland.

Given the possibility of independence, he said army figures may be asking “What are we doing sending them there?”