SNP minister to quiz Fox on defence cuts

CONCERNS over defence cuts in Scotland will be raised at a top-level meeting next month.

The Scottish Government is to send Bruce Crawford, the minister for parliamentary affairs, to meet Defence Secretary Liam Fox and counterparts from devolved administrations.

A paper is being prepared to "highlight our concerns of the potential economic impact", a spokesman said. There has been widespread speculation about where the axe will fall, with fears raised for the future of RAF bases in the North-east.

Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, claims there was a 5.6 billion defence underspend in Scotland between 2002 and 2008, with 10,000 job losses since the last spending review.