Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to remove a pro-Trident MP from the shadow defence brief proves he can’t be trusted on national security, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
Maria Eagle, a supporter of the Faslane deterrent, has been replaced by Emily Thornberry – a vocal opponent of Trident - as part of a shadow cabinet reshuffle.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has criticised the move, saying it paves the way for Labour to abandon its longheld support for the west of Scotland base, which guarantees thousands of jobs and ensures Britain has a nuclear deterrent.
Late last year, all but one of Scottish Labour’s MSPs also voted to scrap Trident.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:
“By sacking the pro-Trident Maria Eagle and replacing her with Emily Thornberry, Jeremy Corbyn has once again shown that he cannot be trusted to safeguard our national security.
“Maintaining the ultimate insurance policy of a strategic nuclear deterrent has been the cornerstone of Britain’s defences for decades and the mainstream Labour position for more than a quarter of a century.
“Jeremy Corbyn is now preparing to break that consensus.
“The world is more – not less – dangerous than when the Trident system was established and the UK needs to be able to meet the defence needs of today, not weaken itself in front of the world.
“Quite simply, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party is putting our national defences at risk and threatening thousands of Scottish jobs that depend on the Faslane base.”