Exclusive:Strategic Defence Review: SNP MP urges UK to ‘rethink priorities’ and look to Europe

The Strategic Defence Review will be published by Sir Keir Starmer on Monday.

An SNP MP has claimed the UK must “rethink its defence priorities”, as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to publish the critical Strategic Defence Review.

The party’s Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins urged UK ministers to seek closer ties with Europe, insisting a defence strategy was more than just “hardware”.

Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, Mr Gethins pointed to the Nordic approach to the threat from Russia as an example for the UK to follow.

He said: “I think the UK needs to rethink its defence priorities. I am not sure everybody gets just how significant the challenge is for Europe and for democracies at the moment with the withdrawal of the United States, and the US being a less reliable security partner.

HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Rosyth in Fife, Scotland, and sailing under the Forth bridge. She is due to return home to Portsmouth on July 30.

“It challenges a lot of the assumptions that have been made in the MoD [Ministry of Defence] for a few years, assumptions they should have been challenging themselves.

“We are years into the war in Ukraine. We are now in the second Trump presidency, the challenges we are facing should not have come as a surprise to anybody.”

The strategic defence review is an overarching examination of the UK’s defence capability and will be published on Monday.

SNP MP Stephen Gethins called for a focus on improved ties with Europe

Sir Keir Starmer had previously said he would set a date for when spending 2.5 per cent of Britain’s GDP on defence had to be achieved after the defence review had been completed.

Mr Gethins, the MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, claimed the key areas to be looking at were closer collaboration with other countries in Europe.

He said: “The Nordics for example, they have much closer collaboration and are taking the threat from Russia more seriously.

“There are some really good illustrations there. It’s also about thinking more about defence not simply as military hardware, but also in terms of energy security, food and drink security, and disinformation. We need a much more well rounded approach to security”.

The UK government has already confirmed a new ‘Cyber and Electromagnetic Command’ to address cyber security. Ministers will also invest more than £1 billion into a new “digital targeting web” to be set up by 2027 to better connect weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster.

Mr Gethins praised the approach to cyber security, but said failing to work with Europe was undermining the goal.

He said: “I think cyber is an area they are increasingly taking seriously, but it is an area where Brexit damages our security. If you look at most other countries, they see membership of the EU and Nato as being the twin pillars of their security.

“Europe is a way to invest heavily in its arms infrastructure, and actually that is another reason why the UK needs to be closer to its European partners. It makes sense for the UK, or an independent Scotland, to be more integrated in that European defence structure.

“Labour are still wedded to Tory policies and assumptions around a relationship with the rest of Europe and that has to end.”

It comes as the UK government announced an upgrade for Scottish military homes, with 3,000 to be improved as part of an overall £7 billion funding during this Parliament.

The review will cover all aspects of defence, including the UK’s international partnerships and alliances, and how these can be strengthened.

The UK government did not respond to requests for comment.