Investing In Faslane

A £500 million cash injection for the Faslane naval base will create nearly 7, 000 jobs and secure thousands more, according to the Chancellor.

George Osborne has announced the funding boost but has angered politicians and campaigners north of the border, who say he should be reversing his welfare cuts instead.

Mr Osborne says the work, which will take ten years to complete, is expected to start in 2017 and will support thousands of jobs.  The cash will be spent on ship lifts, sea walls, jetties and other major projects to ensure Faslane continues as a world leading naval base; home to Astute and Successor submarines, their crews and engineers until at least 2067.

The announcement follows the Chancellor’s pledge at the Summer Budget to maintain the NATO commitment to spending at least 2% of GDP annually on defence, making the UK the only major world economy which meets both the NATO target and the 0.7% on international aid target. 

Faslane is the largest military establishment in Scotland, and alongside Portsmouth and Devonport is one of three major naval hubs.  From 2020, Faslane will be the Royal Navy’s ‘Submarine Centre of Specialisation’ which means all of the UK’s underwater capability will be based in Scotland. The Ministry of Defence also expect to base Successor class submarines at Faslane when they come into service from 2028.

Currently the base hosts around 6,700 military and civilian staff and contractors, but this is expected to increase to about 8,200 by 2022 based on submarine capacity alone, with today’s additional infrastructure development also contributing thousands of jobs.

Speaking from Faslane, the Chancellor said: “Today’s announcement of more than £500 million demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to investing in the infrastructure and capability to ensure that Faslane remains the centre of UK submarine operations for the next generation.

“I’m proud to say that this government continues to recognise that our brave Armed Forces across Britain have always been resolute in defence of liberty and the promotion of stability around the world.  That’s why I recently committed to meet the NATO pledge to spend 2% of our national income on defence every year of this decade.  A strong and secure country is vital to both our prosperity and national security.

“There will be thousands more jobs right here in Faslane, as well as across the UK supply chain.  Across Scotland, around 12,600 people work in defence and my defence spending commitments will secure these jobs and provide huge opportunities for defence, security and technology companies all over the UK.”

The SNP claim the Chancellor's got his priorities wrong.

Westminster Defence spokesperson Brendan O’Hara MP said: “With the UK Government facing a United Nations probe over its cuts to support for disabled people, George Osborne has his priorities all wrong. He should be defending the disabled, not his government’s indefensible decision to spend £100bn on a new generation of nuclear weapons - and this so-called investment in Faslane will directly support the deployment of Trident submarines.
 
“Indeed, George Osborne is essentially pre-empting a vote and actual decision on renewal of Trident.
 
“There is something fundamentally wrong with Westminster's values and priorities if the Chancellor thinks wasting billions on nuclear weapons is something to boast about when people are dying within our benefits system.
 
“And in defence terms too, at a time when Scotland’s conventional defence footprint has never been smaller with major capability gaps, base closures and personnel numbers at an all-time low, it seems the Treasury apparently has a limitless pot to keep an unwanted and obscene arsenal of nuclear weapons afloat. Investment in Faslane is welcome – but it must be as a conventional base – and not more money spent on weapons of mass destruction.
 
“The reality is that Scotland has been hit by continued, disproportionate cuts to our defence footprint – with less than 10,000 defence personnel. Axing of air bases such as Leuchars, for example, have seen Fife badly hit with a reduction from 1770 personnel to just 570 since April 2012.
 
“The Tories claim that they are the party of defence and yet we see time after time – they cut the defence footprint in Scotland to the bone to the point where we are left in the absurd situation in Scotland as a maritime nation without a single maritime patrol aircraft to defend our waters and without the proper conventional naval vessels based in Scotland, whilst Westminster is hell bent on renewing Scotland’s nuclear arsenal.
 
“With plans by the UK Government to initiate a new Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) this autumn the Ministry of Defence must rule out further damaging cuts to Scotland’s defence communities who have been hit by job losses, base closures and cuts to key conventional capabilities.”