A TORY MP has said she thanks God that nuclear weapons are kept in Scotland, claiming they make her feel “a lot safer”.
The comments, made by Kent MP Laura Trott, came during a discussion on BBC Politics Live about weapons of mass destruction in an independent Scotland.
She spoke out as an SNP MP said that the crisis in Ukraine strengthened the case for removing Trident from the Clyde.
The Politics Live host referenced nuclear threats from Vladimir Putin and showed viewers the front page of The National from Monday, which led on Ian Blackford’s call for nuclear weapons to be removed from Scotland.
Here's a look at today's front page🗞️
— The National (@ScotNational) March 7, 2022
SNP double down on commitment to remove Trident
And Scotland shows solidarity with Ukraine as day of protests held pic.twitter.com/QN0YV769YX
SNP defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald was asked if the war in Ukraine had prompted the party to reconsider that stance.
The MP explained the conflict was going to force parties to “reassess the various bits of our defence and security posture we have as parties that nation states have”.
He continued: “But on nuclear weapons our position remains the same. In fact, I think the crisis has somewhat reinforced it to be honest.
“The only way to get the nuclear weapons removed from where they currently are and transferred is with independence. I accept the reality of the makeup of the British Parliament [means it] is unlikely to happen via that route.
“But who can honestly put their hands up and say they feel safer now with these types of threats coming from the Kremlin with nuclear weapons?”
Trott interjected to say: “Me. I do. I feel a lot safer because of our nuclear weapons, I really do. I thank God for them.
“I mean, you look, do you think that this would happen to Ukraine if they had nuclear weapons?”
The presenter then asked whether the situation in Ukraine would be different if weapons of mass destruction weren’t “in the equation”.
McDonald replied: “Of course it would. It’s what is preventing the West from getting involved any more than it is at the minute. It’s nuclear weapons that are stopping us going in with a no-fly zone, humanitarian corridors, whatever it is, you want to call it.
“Explicitly, that's the only thing that stands between us doing more to help those people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.”
Trott said the reason the West wasn’t intervening was that it doesn’t want to go to war with Russia. McDonald added: “Because it’s a nuclear state.”
Other panellists also backed the pro-nuclear stance.
Former Tory government adviser Salma Shah said: “As much as we don't like the idea of nuclear weapons, and we know that the harm that they do, having it is better than not having it and I feel better as a consequence.”
Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, said Putin was using nuclear weapons as a “deterrent”. McDonald argued: “Well it’s deterring us from doing the right thing. This doesn’t work.”
The SNP defence spokesperson then moved on to the issue of weapons of mass destruction in an independent Scotland.
He explained: “In terms of independence, I mean, does anyone really suggesting that a small state like Scotland would be a nuclear power?
“It's worth remembering the Ukraine situation. They weren't actually Ukraine's weapons. They were the successor states, as they will be in the case of Scottish independence.”
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