Cole-Hamilton brands SNP squeamish on defence

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to Babcock’s Rosyth site to set out his party’s commitment to keeping the UK safe and creating skilled jobs across Scotland by putting defence at the heart of new industrial and skills strategies.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are now committing to back the Scottish defence industry by:

• Making defence a pillar of our industrial strategy, ensuring Scottish firms are well positioned to win a fair share of the increasing UK Government defence spending, as well as contracts from our allies.
• Creating a new skills strategy, mapping where the gaps are and will be, and fitting training and education systems around them.
• Inspiring people to do apprenticeships as a route to high-wage high-skill jobs in the defence industry, from engineering to cyber.
• Callingt on the UK Government to launch a new programme of defence bonds to fund a £20bn boost to military spending, helping boost defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 at the latest.
• Championing the industry’s importance to supporting the armed forces of Ukraine.
• Turning Scotland into Europe’s leading destination for commercial space launches, starting with Shetland’s SaxaVord, giving the UK its own means to access space for the deployment of military satellites and so the UK can design, build and launch systems.
• Working with the UK Government to protect critical undersea infrastructure from foreign interference.

It has been reported that the Babcock yard has hired 300 Filipino welders as skills demands exceed supply.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“We need to ramp up our industrial base and get serious about Scotland’s defences. That’s why Liberal Democrats have set out clear plans for delivering more defence jobs and forging closer ties with our European allies after years of neglect.

“A year ago I drove with the charity Mighty Convoy to deliver ambulances to those fighting on the frontline in Ukraine. No one should be in any doubt that unless Putin is defeated in Ukraine, he will strike again elsewhere. Meanwhile America is no longer a reliable ally.

“The world has become a more dangerous place, but if handled correctly, this can be an opportunity for Scottish jobs and Scottish industry.

“The SNP are squeamish about keeping Scotland safe, while Reform are full of admiration for Putin. Neither of them can be trusted with our defence industry.

“In many constituencies we are on the verge of winning against the SNP but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.

“Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.”