The Ministry of Defence has denied reports it has drawn up secret plans to move the UK’s nuclear deterrent abroad if Scotland becomes independent.
The Royal Navy’s base at Faslane is home to the UK’s nuclear submarines but sources described in the Financial Times as “senior officials” said they could be moved to bases in the US or France if Scotland votes Yes in a second referendum on independence.
The newspaper also reports the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could keep them within an independent Scotland by creating a new British Overseas Territory.
However, a spokesman for the MoD denied there are any plans to move the submarines. The Scottish Government said it is committed to the “safe and complete withdrawal of Trident from Scotland”.
Strongly committed
An MoD spokesman said: “The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Nato allies.
“There are no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), which contributes to Scotland’s and the wider UK’s security and economy, and its supporting facilities are safe for local communities.”
The Financial Times cited “several senior officials” who have been briefed on plans for what would happen to the nuclear deterrent if Scotland becomes independent.
According to the newspaper, the preferred option would be to move the nuclear deterrent to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth. Allied naval bases in the US and France are also reportedly being considered for the fleet.
Another option said to be under consideration is to negotiate a new British Overseas Territory described as a “Nuclear Gibraltar” within Scotland, with the UK Government leasing Faslane and nearby Coulport from the independent Scottish Government.
The Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport is responsible for storing, processing, maintaining and issuing key elements of the UK’s Trident nuclear missile system.
Could renting Faslane lead to end of nuclear deterrent?
We reported in December how a leading defence expert believes charging the UK Government to keep Trident on the Clyde in an independent Scotland would be more likely to lead to nuclear disarmament than demanding its immediate removal.
Professor Phillips O’Brien, of St Andrews University, said leasing Faslane for millions of pounds for a “transition period” in the event of a second referendum Yes vote could be a stepping stone to a nuclear-free UK.
Speaking at a webinar organised by the Irish Defence Forces Officers’ Club, Professor O’Brien, an expert in strategic studies, argued SNP strategy should be to try to reach a deal on Trident in Scotland if it ends up in negotiations with the rest of the UK.
Professor O’Brien appeared at the event alongside former SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson, who masterminded the party’s defence strategy ahead of the 2014 referendum, and Stuart Crawford, a former army officer who used to advise the SNP on defence matters.
The SNP has long opposed the UK’s nuclear deterrent and has previously called for Trident missiles not to be renewed.
Responding to Mr Crawford’s proposal during the webinar, Mr Robertson said there is “zero chance” the SNP would ever consider his Faslane leasing proposal.
Foreign enclaves – the leasing of territories to other countries is not unprecedented
After the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, three deep-water “Treaty Ports” were retained by the UK in the Irish Free State. They were Lough Swilley, Cobh (formerly Queenstown) and Berehaven.
Porkkala, near Helsinki, in Finland was leased to the Soviet Union as a result of the 1944 Moscow Armistice. It remained in Russian hands until 1956 when it was returned to Finland. It now hosts the Finnish naval base Upinniemi.
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the notorious US military prison, is under American control even though it is located at the south-eastern end of Cuba.
As a condition of Cuban independence, the US required the government to lease the territory for an American naval base in 1903. Cuba did so grudgingly and its ownership is still a matter of intense controversy.
Gwadar Port in the Pakistani Province of Balochistan has been leased to China until 2059.
Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania is part of Russia carved out of German territory after the Second World War.
Stewart McDonald, the SNP’s defence spokesman insisted an independent Scotland “will not be home to nuclear weapons”.
He said: “With a clear cross-party majority of Scotland’s elected politicians opposed to Trident, there is no possible parliamentary arithmetic that would allow these weapons to be kept at Faslane.
“Negotiating their removal will be one of the most important tasks a newly independent Scotland will face, and capitals across Europe will be looking to Edinburgh for assurance that we will be a reliable and trustworthy partner.
“Safety and security will be the top principle that informs the process of the departure – which will happen at pace.
“A clear majority of Scotland’s elected parliamentarians, both at Holyrood and Westminster, are opposed to Trident, as are large sections of society across Scotland, including many faith groups.
“Independence is needed to ensure that that groundswell of democratic and civic opinion is translated into the action which will see the safe removal of all nuclear weapons from Scotland.”