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Keeping Trident mooted as price of Scotland joining Nato

The Royal Navy Astute class submarine HMS Ambush arriving at HMNB Clyde September 19, 2012 in Faslane, Scotland.
Stephen Phillips, a partner at the German law firm CMS, said Trident and Nato membership were “inextricably linked”
ALAMY

A lawyer who has represented major banking and oil firms has joined a growing chorus of voices who warn that an independent Scotland would have to host nuclear weapons as the price of admission to Nato.

Stephen Phillips, a partner at the German law firm CMS, said Trident and Nato membership were “inextricably linked”.

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to take Scotland into Nato while simultaneously moving nuclear submarines out of their base on the Clyde.

Phillips acknowledged Finland had refused to host nuclear weapons if its bid to join Nato were successful, but said a similar bid by Scotland would be complicated by the fact it already hosts a Nato arsenal patrolling the Atlantic.

Writing in The Herald, he said: “Trident is currently sited in a strategically important location in terms of global security and it would inevitably cause major disruption if it had to be moved elsewhere soon after independence.

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“Any decisions on nuclear weapons would, of course, be a matter for an independent Scottish parliament where the political dynamic and the public view would determine the course of events. It’s interesting to note that current polling on this issue shows that a majority of Scots do not support the immediate removal of Trident.”

“Should Scotland vote for independence, the issues of Nato membership and Trident are likely to be inextricably linked.”

“While keen to expand membership, it is possible that Nato would seek some form of compromise over Trident as part of the terms in admitting an independent Scotland into the alliance.”

Phillips advises major firms on the implications of Scottish independence.

In May, Rear Admiral John Gower, a former assistant chief of defence staff and submarine commander, said an independent Scotland would face being shut out of Nato if it undermines Britain’s nuclear deterrent.

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The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) published a paper in March warning Scotland would be a high priority target for Russian strikes in a future war and independence would be “a gift” for Vladimir Putin.

It said an independent Scottish defence force could thrive within Nato if the SNP drops its opposition to nuclear weapons.

Dame Mariot Leslie, a former UK permanent representative to Nato, backed Scottish independence and said Nato would welcome the country.

Sturgeon reaffirmed her commitment to joining Nato in a speech in Washington in May.

She said: “I am firm in my view that — coupled with a strong relationship with the UK — membership of the EU and of Nato will be cornerstones of an independent Scotland’s security policy.”

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Sturgeon said that she was “acutely aware of Scotland’s strategic position on the northern edge of Europe, close to the Arctic” given the increase in Russian submarine patrols in the North Atlantic.

“And so we are clearer than ever that membership of Nato would not only be vital to Scotland’s security — though it most definitely would be — it would also be the principal way in which an independent Scotland, in an interdependent world, would contribute to the collective security of our neighbours and allies,” she said.

The Scottish government said: “The safe and swift removal of Trident from Scottish waters will be negotiated with the UK government after a Yes vote. No action would be taken which would jeopardise the security of the United Kingdom or any other NATO ally.

“Nato membership for an independent Scotland would maintain the alliance’s territorial integrity in a key strategic area.The SNP has been also clear that an independent Scotland – as a member of the EU and NATO – will be active participants in the Euro-Atlantic security community, committed to ensuring the stability of our North Atlantic neighbourhood.

“As an aspiring member of NATO, a non-nuclear independent Scotland would be in good company among a clear majority of non-nuclear members of the Alliance – including new members Finland and Sweden, with Sweden’s opposition to hosting nuclear weapons forming an unequivocal part of their recent membership application.”

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