Sturgeon reinforces SNP's fierce opposition to Trident
The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, says that the Labour party must demonstrate commitment to scrapping Trident if it wants to secure the backing of the SNP after the general election.
Trident, which constitutes Britain’s sole nuclear deterrent, is organised into four Vanguard-class submarines, armed with Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles, carrying thermonuclear warheads.
The entire system operates from the Royal Navy’s Clyde base in Faslane, Scotland. The SNP has long campaigned to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, and to that end, the party advocates the closure of the Clyde base.
Talking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Sturgeon, who is also Scotland's First Minister, said that Trident constitutes a “red line” in terms of potential SNP support for Labour.
“I have a moral objection to weapons of mass destruction … I wouldn’t be prepared to press a nuclear button that would kill potentially millions, tens of millions, of people”, Sturgeon proclaimed.
Besides her opposition to nuclear weapons in principle, Sturgeon also pointed to the tremendous economic cost of Trident as an incentive for getting rid of the nuclear weapons system.
The Independent reported on May 12, 2016, that the “lifetime cost” of replacing Trident stands at a staggering £205 billion. The estimates were compiled by the advocacy group Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) which relied mostly on ministerial statements.
Sturgeon’s inclusion of Trident to the conditions under which she might support a minority Labour government is an addition to her two original conditions, namely Labour support for a Scottish independence referendum and a pledge to end austerity.
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