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A LABOUR government would work to remove nuclear weapons from Scotland, the party’s leader north of the border has said.
Richard Leonard would like to see Britain’s Trident weapons system withdrawn from its base on the River Clyde.
The Scottish Labour leader, who is a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), claims a Labour prime minister would seek to boost international talks on getting rid of nuclear weapons.
Mr Leonard told the Morning Star: “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am someone who is a member of the CND, so I do want to see nuclear disarmament. I just don’t think there is justification for a programme of weapons of mass destruction across the globe.
“I’m not happy to spend billions on Trident. Jeremy Corbyn has made clear that an incoming Labour government that he led would be working on the international stage to give new impetus to disarmament talks, including nuclear disarmament talks. Which would eventually end with the removal of Trident from the Clyde.”
Mr Leonard was speaking after the party placed a commitment to renewing the Trident nuclear programme in its Britain-wide manifesto.
In Scotland, a 2015 Labour conference resolution calling for nuclear weapons to be scrapped was reflected in previous manifestos.
However, no such policy was included in the Scottish manifesto when it launched last month.
The SNP has previously said that the scrapping of Trident would be a key condition for the party supporting a Labour government.
Mr Leonard has now said that steps will be taken towards removing nuclear weapons from the Clyde, but this would not be done in order to pander to the demands of other parties.
“I think the election of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister of this country would see the arrival of a whole new initiative in international disarmament talks,” he said.
“There is a concern that intermediate nuclear weapon arsenals may be increasing, not decreasing.
“So it’s against that background that Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister of this country would be seeking to lead a change in direction internationally.”
