Greens: Labour trident pledge shows need for independence
Spending £100 billion on nuclear weapons would an obscenity, particularly when we are rebuilding from COVID, say the Scottish Greens. This comes as Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, is expected to use a speech to reinforce the Labour Party's support for renewing Trident.
Responding, Patrick Harvie MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens said:
"Particularly at a time when COVID has done so much damage, it is extremely disappointing that the Labour Party has decided to underline its support for the deadly Trident system. Nuclear weapons are an obscenity and will do nothing to protect us from the real threats, such as pandemics and climate change.
"The £100 billion price-tag could be used to boost the vital public services and the workers that have done so much to get us through the last year. As we look to the future, and the climate emergency that we are entering, it is vital that we focus on building a fairer, greener Scotland, and not one that squanders huge sums of money on weapons of mass destruction.
"This is also a big challenge for Scottish Labour. The new leader won't be announced until tomorrow, but, against the wishes of many Scottish members, the party's Westminster leadership appears to have committed them to supporting the same failed and destructive policies that have caused many to turn to other parties like the Scottish Greens.
"We cannot go back to how things were. With independence, Scotland can play a leading role in nuclear disarmament by signing up to the nuclear weapons ban and leaving NATO."