The Scottish National Party’s demands for an end to the U
K’s nuclear missile arsenal threatens “the security of our nation, our freedom and our way of life”, the Conservatives’ defence secretary Michael Fallon has charged.
Ramping up the rhetoric in the election campaign, Mr Fallon said that it is increasingly clear that Labour's Ed Miliband "will pay any price" to get the keys of No 10 Downing Street.
“Day after day, interview after interview, he refuses to rule out categorically, once and for all, doing any deal with the SNP. This silence speaks volumes about the man. His weakness. His refusal to be straight with the British public. And above all, his willingness to play fast and loose with one of the most precious things that any prime minister is entrusted to protect: the security of our country,” Fallon said.
A decision on replacing the UK’s existing Trident nuclear missiles, one that has been repeatedly delayed because of disagreements between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, is now scheduled for next year.
The SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, made it clear it again during last night's televised debate in Aberdeen that the SNP "will never, ever" vote for Trident.
Such a stand does not threaten SNP support for a minority Labour government, however, since Labour would be able to win a Trident vote with Conservative support.
Times article In an article for the London Times, the defence secretary said: "Nicola Sturgeon could not be clearer. She has told Ed Miliband that scrapping Trident – our country's vital nuclear deterrent – is a red line she will not cross. If he wants the keys to Number 10, he must abandon any plans to renew our current Vanguard ballistic missile submarines.
“Her brusque demands should alarm people right across our United Kingdom. For 46 years, Britain has kept a ballistic missile submarine at sea providing the ultimate guarantee of security against nuclear attack or nuclear blackmail It is there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. No issue is more important for a government – the security of our nation, our freedom and our way of life.
“The only responsible choice is to recommit to our deterrent now so that we can cope with any direct nuclear threat to the UK, or our Nato allies, in the decades out to 2060. But the SNP’s naive world view would sacrifice the long-term security of the UK and play into the hands of our enemies.”
The Royal Navy’s submarines are based in Faslane, north of Glasgow, though opinion polls show a majority of Scots want them removed.
