SCOTLAND’S First Minister Nicola Sturgeon vowed to make “immoral” and “impractical” Trident an election issue at the CND demonstration in London on Saturday.

Addressing tens of thousands of peace protesters at the Stop Trident demo in Trafalgar Square, Ms Sturgeon warned that the use of the nuclear weapons system “would bring about human devastation and suffering on an unimaginable scale.”

Ms Sturgeon said that it “is important that while the decision in Parliament is looming, people had the opportunity to make their voice heard” in a peaceful and democratic manner.

GMB Scotland secretary Gary Smith told BBC Sunday Politics Scotland that he will challenge Ms Sturgeon to a debate on Trident after hearing that she had pledged to make it a key issue in the Scottish Parliament elections in May.

Mr Smith also warned that the GMB will “take a position on our support of the party” if the Labour Party, which is reviewing its policy on Trident, adopts an official position against it.

He denounced the huge mobilisation on Saturday as “student politics,” adding “this is an utterly indulgent debate, these are political posers.”

Mr Smith called on Scottish Labour to instead focus on challenging the SNP government over cuts to local authority budgets rather than question the tens of billions that will be spent renewing Trident.