Scots want to stay with Nato... and keep nukes
A MAJORITY of Scots want the United Kingdom to keep nuclear weapons, in stark contrast to the position of the SNP and Scottish Greens, a poll has found.
As Russia wages war on Ukraine, most people in Scotland believe a nuclear deterrent should be retained and the country should continue to be a member of the military alliance Nato.
A total of 58 per cent believe the UK should ‘retain its independent nuclear deterrent’, according to the survey of 1,050 Scottish adults carried out between April 29 and May 3.
Only 20 per cent said it should not, while 23 per cent did not know.
Support is also evident for remaining in Nato, the G7 and the UN Security Council, with four-fifths of people wanting to remain part of those alliances.
The SNP is vehemently opposed to the nuclear deterrent, with leader Nicola Sturgeon insisting an independent Scotland would not be home to the Trident missile system at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde.
Last week, Miss Sturgeon said it was her ‘expectation and hope’ the deterrent would be removed in the first Holyrood term after a vote to break up the UK. Asked if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed her desire to rid an independent Scotland of nuclear weapons, she said: ‘Nuclear weapons are dangerous and we would always be responsible in terms of the negotiations around the timing and the practical arrangements for the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland.
‘We would not be in any way irresponsible about that. But we are a non-nuclear party.’
Miss Sturgeon added: ‘I think we’re reminded right now of the massive danger caused by nuclear weapons. I would like an independent Scotland – albeit it is a small country, we have a strategically important geographic position in the North Atlantic – to be a constructive and participating member of Nato.’
While the SNP reversed its opposition to Nato in 2012, its Holyrood coalition party and fellow nationalists, the Scottish Greens, remain opposed to an independent Scotland being a member.
The Survation poll found 82 per cent of Scots ranked UK membership as ‘important’, while 9 per cent rated it as ‘not important’ and 9 per cent did not know.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, which commissioned the poll, said: ‘Scottish people want to continue to participate fully in the world, to make the most effective contributions to global institutions and to retain the benefits of our membership.
‘Remaining part of the UK is the best way to protect and enhance Scotland’s global influence.’