[News] Trident could be forced overseas or halted if Scotland gains independence.

[S9OUL.]

Trident could be forced to the US or possibly France if Scotland became independent because there is no alternative port immediately available elsewhere in the UK, according to a retired admiral responsible for Britain’s nuclear policy.

Unless Scotland were to agree to lease back the Faslane submarine base to the rest of the UK, continuing Trident would probably require the help of an allied country or the nuclear deterrent would have to be halted completely, the expert said.

The conclusions are contained in a European Leadership Network paper written by John Gower, a rear admiral at the time of the 2014 independence referendum, as Scotland prepares for the Holyrood elections, where the anti-nuclear SNP could win an overall majority.

“A Scottish secession would therefore generate fundamental operational and fiscal issues for the UK’s nuclear deterrent,” Gower wrote, because Faslane base, the warhead loading site at Coulport, and nearby testing ranges are all based in Scotland or Scottish waters.

The lack of options for basing Trident outside Scotland is well known in defence and policy circles but has become relevant as the SNP presses for a second independence referendum as part of its Holyrood election campaign. Far ahead in the polls, Nicola Sturgeon’s party, has long been against the retention of Trident.

It means the most likely outcome – if Scotland were to vote for independence in the future – could entail some sort of lease arrangement allowing for Trident submarines to have “uninterrupted and continuously permissioned” access to Scottish territorial waters, which could be politically controversial.

Alternative sites considered at the time Faslane was chosen, such as Milford Haven in Wales and Falmouth in Cornwall, are now industrialised in the case of the former or have a larger po[CENSORED]tion; while Devonport, where the submarines are refitted, would require significant engineering work and is close to the city of Plymouth.

 

© 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (modern)