JOHN Swinney should change SNP policy to embrace the defence industry, two former senior MPs have said.
The Scottish Government’s current stance is not to use public money to fund the manufacturing of munitions.
The Times reports that the First Minister has faced intensive lobbying, including from Holyrood backbenchers in the party, to relax the ban on such projects.
And now, former Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called for investment in defence to “kick-start the delivery of an industrial future for Scotland”.
Meanwhile, former SNP Westminster defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald branded the ban as a “stupid policy”.
It emerged in May that a specialist welding skills centre in Glasgow, planned by Rolls Royce, could be a risk after it was deemed not to be eligible for £2.5 million of Scottish Enterprise funding.
UK Defence Secretary John Healy described the decision as “student union politics”, prompting a furious response from Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon.
Writing in the Times, Blackford (below) said: “Investment in defence, though, can be a lever and transformative in itself in generating economic growth.
He pointed to Swinney, stating that he had no objections if a company came to Scotland to set up a munitions factory, adding: “There is a need to replenish munitions in support of the defence of Ukraine. In doing this, though, there are red lines and that means munitions supplied in the needs of strategic defence interests and never in situations such as Gaza where civilians are targeted.”
“ADS, the umbrella body for the industry, points out that the sector today employs 33,500 workers and delivers a value added of £3.2 billion, with an output per worker of £95,000,” he added.
“These figures make it self-evident that there is an economic prize in attracting defence investment into Scotland.”
Elsewhere, McDonald told Scotland on Sunday that the defence industry has a “very awkward” relationship wih the Scottish Government.
He branded the ban on investments relating to munitions “a stupid policy”, also criticising the restrictions in place for the Scottish National Investment Bank.
“Defence is the one industry that has enormous growth happening in it right now and that’s not likely to end [any] time soon,” McDonald said.
“So why should our National Investment Bank not invest in it?
“It’s entirely normal in every other country in Europe or the world for your national institutions to support your national interests, including your national security interests.
"So why is the Scottish National Investment Bank not doing that? I think that’s mad.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of the aerospace, defence and shipbuilding sectors for Scotland’s economy. Together they provide high value jobs, support across the wider supply chain and make a valuable contribution to local, regional and national economies.”
“Scottish ministers have been consistently clear on the Scottish government’s long-standing policy position that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions,” they added.
