Scottish Conservative chief Russell Findlay informed the UK Defence Journal that independence would have severe penalties for Scotland’s shipbuilding trade.
Talking throughout a go to to Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard, Findlay stated he was there “to see the unbelievable work that Babcock do.” He described the yard as an important a part of the nationwide financial system. “This place helps nearly 10,000 expert jobs. It contributes round half a billion kilos to the UK financial system,” he stated. “In as we speak’s harmful and more and more unstable world, corporations like Babcock ought to be supported by each single politician within the nation.”
Requested about independence and the way forward for defence contracts, Findlay stated, “What we have to do is completely present individuals the good thing about locations like Babcock to the financial system, the energy of the Union. It is a image of how useful Scotland’s place within the Union is each by way of financial system and nationwide security.”
He added that the Scottish Authorities’s method to defence had been marked by “petty posturing” and “hostility in the direction of the defence trade.” In his view, such attitudes threatened Scotland’s industrial future. “If the SNP ever bought their manner in breaking apart this nice nation, there could be severe ramifications for Babcock and different yards of this nature,” he stated.
Findlay additionally contrasted Rosyth’s success with the issues dealing with Ferguson Marine, the state-owned shipyard liable for the long-delayed CalMac ferries. “What has occurred with the ferries and Marine yard isn’t just a farce. Some individuals name it a ferries fiasco. It’s mired in corruption,” he stated. “We’re nonetheless a shipbuilding powerhouse. We are able to produce the best warships for the Royal Navy and for our allies around the globe. So why on earth, underneath the SNP authorities, can we not produce a couple of fundamental automobile ferries? It’s a nationwide scandal.”
He concluded by calling for better funding in abilities and apprenticeships to maintain the workforce that underpins Scotland’s maritime trade. “We have to spend money on the faculty sector and in apprenticeships,” he stated. “Employers like this are discovering it more and more troublesome to search out the expert staff which are wanted as we speak, but in addition for tomorrow.”