THE Scottish Secretary has ended his “lifelong” opposition to nuclear weapons – and said he will look to remove his name from a Nobel prize-winning campaign’s pledge.
Speaking to Scottish media during a visit to East Lothian on Monday, Ian Murray said that his long-held position on nukes had changed because the world had changed.
Previously, Murray described himself as a “lifelong unilateralist”, meaning he supported the UK binning its nuclear arsenal without any agreements for other nuclear-armed states to do the same.
He is among the 2000 parliamentarians to have signed the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) pledge, which obliges signatories to work for their respective nations to sign up to a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons through the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
During a visit to an energy project in Cockenzie on Monday, Murray was asked about his position on nuclear weapons following the US government’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities amid the country’s escalating war with Israel.
Asked if he was still a “lifelong unilateralist” who wanted the UK to give up its nukes, Murray said: “My position's not that anymore. I mean, times have changed.
“You can very much see with what's happened in Ukraine, but also the instability across the world, that is very important for us to have that nuclear deterrent. I think the public's also changed their mood on that.”
Murray was then asked if he would remove his name from the ICAN pledge, where he is still listed as a signatory, due to his change of heart.
Pushed on whether he would take his name off it, Murray said: “Well, I would have to look at how to do that. I don't know if it's possible to do that, but certainly times have changed.
“The real important thing here is that the [UK] Government's posture is quite clear. I think the public back that posture in terms of increasing defence spending.
“I think nuclear deterrence is something that is critical in terms of national security, not just for ourselves, but our Nato allies.
“So things do move on, and it's really important to have that very strong message both to our Nato allies and indeed to our European allies and the US that our commitment to that nuclear deterrent is sacrosanct and our commitment to Nato the same.”
Asked again if he would then remove his name from the ICAN pledge, Murray said: “If that's what's required.”
He added: “If you want to ask if I've changed my view, the answer to that question is obviously yes, but I think it's really important when circumstances change for that to happen.”
The Scottish Secretary was visiting East Lothian to mark the launch of the UK Government’s industrial strategy, which was published on Monday and outlined eight key areas for development in the British economy. These are:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Defence
- Clean energy
- Digital and technology
- Creative industries
- Financial services
- Life sciences
- Professional and business services
For Scotland, the strategy singled out areas including Glasgow for manufacturing and defence, Edinburgh for financial and creative industries, Dundee for life sciences, and Aberdeen for energy.
It further said a new “professional and business services skills hub” would be set up somewhere in the “Edinburgh-Glasgow central belt”, mirroring similar projects in Manchester, Liverpool, Yorkshire, and the Midlands.
The strategy said the hubs “will reflect local needs and priorities, from accelerating the development of emerging technology sectors to connecting firms to potential investors”.
Speaking to media in East Lothian, Murray was asked whether he believed Scottish Government opposition to the use of public money for arms firms or nuclear projects are holding the country’s economy back.
And the SNP also oppose any new nuclear energy plants north of the Border, a policy Labour have insisted they will quickly rescind if they win power at Holyrood.
Murray said: “We're not very far away from Torness, in terms of Scotland's nuclear site, and if you look at the announcement that’s been made in terms of the massive investment into Sizewell C, that's 10,000 jobs, that's 1500 apprenticeships, it's £14.6 billion.
“That investment could be coming to Scotland, but it's currently not because of the de-facto ban on nuclear here.
“Likewise with defence, we have a very, very big defence footprint in Scotland. In fact, the investment in defence will disproportionately benefit Scotland in terms of jobs and that growth.
“We have to look at that as an economic opportunity, but if that is stifled, it's not going to happen.”
