Lib Dems comment on defence, Acorn, supercomputer in spending review

Responding to the UK Government’s spending review, Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

“Scotland has been held back by the Conservatives crashing the economy and the SNP’s costly blunders. The problem is families and businesses still don’t feel any better off.

“The economy is bumping along the bottom. The UK Government needs to go for growth by negotiating a bespoke UK-EU Customs Union. It would turbocharge our economy, cut red tape for businesses, and raise billions of pounds to protect public services and struggling families.”

On increases in the defence budget, which will including spending on the Clyde and at Rosyth, she said:

“Liberal Democrats have pressed for the UK Government to go further and faster to rebuild our defence in this dangerous world. Scotland must play a pivotal role in strengthening those capabilities.

“The SNP Government’s industrial strategy, skills pipeline and defence policies are all riddled with holes, so we need to protect against their failures throwing any spanners in the works.”

On the Acorn carbon capture and storage plant going ahead, she said:

“It was Liberal Democrats in government that first paved the way for the Acorn Project more than 10 years ago. It’s time to get it built, create ground-breaking green jobs and harness the North East’s engineering expertise.”

On confirmation of £750 million investment to support Scotland to host the UK’s national supercomputer, she said:

“When this project was abruptly cancelled I wrote to minsters and raised in Parliament that this would set back our national efforts to be at the forefront of both scientific inquiry and the AI revolution.

“It has been bizarre to see Labour first pulling funding and then reintroducing it. They have run the risk of both universities and investors thinking that plans are being made up as they go along.

“Nevertheless, today’s announcement will be welcomed at Edinburgh University and across the country. Scotland was at the forefront of the enlightenment and the industrial revolution. We can be again.”