SCOTTISH politicians are being urged to “put party allegiances to one side” and raise the alarm over repeated nuclear safety incidents at Trident bases in Scotland.
SNP MSP Bill Kidd has tabled a motion calling attention to incidents at Faslane and Coulport, where Britain’s nuclear fleet and arsenal are stored, which he said posed an “unacceptable” risk to Scots.
It comes after The Ferret revealed that nuclear waste leaked into Loch Long, in Argyll and Bute.
Pipe bursts were recorded in 2010, two in 2019 and two more in 2021, the investigative journalism outlet reported.
Kidd’s motion, which stops short of condemning the nuclear programme outright, notes the incidents and raises the “concerns of constituents […] across Scotland”, calling on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to ensure “ensuring the highest safety standards at these sites, particularly given their proximity to communities in Argyll and Bute and the wider west of Scotland”.
He has called on politicians from all sides to back his motion, which has already been signed by Green MSPs Patrick Harvie and Mark Ruskell.
Kidd (above) said: “Labour are playing fast and loose with the safety of communities in Scotland.
“These so-called ‘near-misses’ are serious safety failures, exposing Scottish people and our environment to unacceptable risks. Nuclear weapons are not only immoral, they are unsafe, unwanted, and a danger to the very people the UK government claims they are here to protect.
“I am calling on every MSP to put party allegiances to one side and stand up for their constituents by sending the strongest possible message to the UK government that Scotland will not accept second-rate safety standards, nor weapons of mass destruction on our soil.”
Harvie said: "Nuclear weapons are immoral and deadly, and we will always oppose them. They are a destructive cold war relic that has no place in a peaceful Scotland.
"The recent reports have been particularly chilling and show how dangerous they are to those who live around them.
"All parties should back the call for answers and transparency. There is a particular onus on those who want us to continue with the moral obscenity of Trident to do so."
Susan Murray, the LibDems' Scottish Affairs spokesperson, said: "The MoD could reduce panic and speculation by setting out more detail about what has taken place at Faslane.
“They will undoubtedly have concerns for safety and security which will have to be balanced but at the moment we have an environment in which wild claims can flourish, especially in the wake of recent investigations revealing that radioactive water had leaked into Loch Long.
“So long as Labour insist on being so secretive, there will be suspicions that this approach is being taken to hide embarrassment rather than out of genuine concerns for security."
Murray added that she had submitted a written question in Westminster about Trident safety failures and was awaiting a Government response.
Scottish Labour, the Scottish Conservatives, Alba and Reform were approached for comment. The MoD was approached for comment.
