PM WARNED OVER DESTRUCTION OF SCOTTISH DEFENCE CAPABILITIES

PM WARNED OVER DESTRUCTION OF SCOTTISH DEFENCE CAPABILITIES

Speaking at Prime Ministers Questions today (Wednesday) SNP
Westminster leader and Defence spokesperson, Angus Robertson MP,
warned over the “wholesale destruction of conventional defence
capability in Scotland” as the second phase of the Strategic Defence
and Security Review reported back.

Mr Robertson has already raised concerns over the shrinking defence
footprint in Scotland – highlighting the £5.6bn defence underspend in
Scotland and 10,000 job loses since the last strategic review.

Mr Robertson said:

“Scotland has already been massively short-changed on its share of
defence spending and all the indications are that the SDR could have
further catastrophic consequences for the defence footprint in
Scotland.

“The Prime Minister must recognise that further cuts threaten a
wholesale destruction of conventional defence capability in Scotland.

“If the strategic review fails to address the mammoth cutbacks in
defence spending that have seen over the last decade, then the
coalition government risks even more damaging decline for the defence
footprint in Scotland.

“The MoD’s own figures show that £5.6bn less has been spent on defence
in Scotland than has been contributed by taxpayers, and 10,000 defence
jobs have been lost in Scotland since the last strategic review.

“People in Scotland support our armed forces, and are proud of the
nation's military tradition, but those UK politicians responsible for
the decrease in jobs, the overstretch, and the under-equipping of our
brave servicemen must now address this decline.”