Nats told to stop 'dithering' over defence spending

UK minister Pollard attacks the SNP's record

- By Craig Paton

THE Scottish Government has been told to end its “dithering” on the defence sector.

The UK and Scottish governments have clashed in recent months over public funding for arms companies with Edinburgh ministers refusing to give funding directly for the building of weapons.

Last week, the First Minister John Swinney, below, announced there would be a pause on public funding for defence firms supplying regimes where there is concrete evidence of genocide which he said included Israel.

Public funding to defence firms had previously been handed out for more indirect areas such as apprenticeships and a row had previously been sparked by Scotland’s refusal to fund a Rolls Royce welding skills centre in Glasgow, with UK ministers committing cash.

Yesterday, the new defence minister Luke Pollard said Holyrood must change its attitude to security matters.

Mr Pollard was speaking on the day the UK Government announced a series of defence-growth deals worth £250million. An estimated £50m of this will be coming to Scotland.