Anas Sarwar who leads the UK Labour Party in Scotland, has reaffirmed his party’s policy of supporting Boris Johnson and the Tories’ commitment to a £205 billion renewal of the destructive Trident nuclear weapons on the Clyde.
To put that colossal sum in perspective, it represents around £38,000 for every man woman and child in Scotland; money that could be better spent on building a more prosperous, fairer and more equal country post-pandemic.
The Tories already plan to increase the number of warheads on the Clyde by 40%, greatly enhancing their destructive potential. During a Good Morning Scotland radio interview, Mr Sarwar refused to commit to scrapping nuclear weapons and failed to stand up for the people of Scotland.
Earlier this year Mr Sarwar’s boss, Keir Starmer MP, confirmed that Labour would not oppose Trident renewal. That determined Labour’s position in Scotland, despite a majority of people north of the border being opposed to nuclear weapons.
Although Labour in Scotland is supposedly against Trident, new branch manager Anas Sarwar has simply accepted the UK party’s position. In doing so, he has demonstrated neither leadership nor a focus on Scotland’s social, economic or indeed defence priorities.
Kenneth Gibson said:
“There is only one Labour Party and that is UK Labour, led by Keir Starmer. He decides their policies, including those affecting Scotland. Their policies here are not shaped by the people of Scotland.
“One might hope that Labour’s candidate in Cunninghame North, Baroness Clark of Kilwinning, will speak out against Trident renewal, although I don’t recall her doing so when she worked for Jeremy Corbyn, who abandoned his own anti-nuclear weapons stance in a vain pursuit of electoral success.
“The SNP’s position is straightforward; we always act in the interest of Scotland’s people, without being told what to do by Westminster. We stick by our principles, whether it is our consistent opposition to nuclear weapons or in our pursuit of the abolition of the undemocratic, unelectable unaccountable House of Lords.
"Whether you use your postal ballot today or plan to vote on 06 May, vote SNP for an MSP and Government who genuinely stand up for Scotland.”
ENDS
