SNP may pave the way for Labour government if Trident axed

The SNP could pave the way for a Labour government at Westminster if a deal is struck to scrap the UK's Clyde-based Trident nuclear deterrent.

A member of the armed services on the deck of Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant, one of the UK's four nuclear warhead-carrying submarines at HM Naval Base Clyde. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

SNP defence spokesman Stewart MacDonald has said an “arrangement” could be reached with Labour if leader Jeremy Corbyn can overturn current official party policy and axe Trident.

Mr MacDonald said in a magazine interview the prospect of a snap election, which Labour is seeking in the event of a no-deal Brexit, would hand Britain’s anti-­nuclear movement a “historic” opportunity.

He said: “On the issue of nuclear weapons of course there has to be a serious discussion that says, ‘You want to get rid of them, we want to get rid of them, let’s work out a way we can make that happen’.

“I hope that if Jeremy’s in the position to form a government, perhaps with an arrangement with the SNP, then that [scrapping Trident] should be one of the key planks of any discussion that we have. Because Corbyn agrees with us on this; he has a long and honourable history of agreeing with us on this.”