PEER CLAIMS BAN ON TRIDENT A “DEMOCRATIC OUTRAGE”

Just months after his doom-laden warnings about an independent Scotland, Lord George Robertson has repeated his claims – during a debate in which his colleague Jack McConnell called on the No camp to “raise its game”.

At a debate last night in the House of Lords, Lord Robertson said independence would put “the safety of the world at risk”. He also claimed that banning Trident in an independent Scotland was a “democratic outrage” – despite poll after poll finding a majority of people in Scotland oppose nuclear weapons.

In April, Lord Robertson’s claims that independence would be “cataclysmic” and an independent Scotland would be welcomed by the “forces of darkness” were widely ridiculed across the political spectrum, with the No campaign distancing themselves from his remarks.

Later in the debate, former First Minister Jack McConnell called on the No camp to “raise its game” in outlining a positive vision for Scotland.

And Labour peer Baroness Vadera said the anti-independence campaign was dominated by “grumpy old men”.

SNP MSP Stewart Maxwell said:

“It is beyond belief that Lord George Robertson is repeating these cataclysmic claims. Just months after he was criticised for ludicrously stating an independent Scotland would be welcomed by the ‘forces of darkness’, he now absurdly claims we will put the ‘safety of the world at risk’.

“With no real argument to justify keeping nuclear weapons in Scotland, Lord Robertson can only scaremonger on the issue. But to claim that banning Trident in an independent Scotland would be a “democratic outrage” is truly astonishing – polls consistently show a majority of people in Scotland oppose nuclear weapons.

“That the comments were made during the same debate in which Jack McConnell called on the No camp to “raise its game” perfectly demonstrates the main problem the campaign faces – it is completely devoid of a positive case for the union.

“These doom-laden prophecies are in stark contrast with the reality. The fact is an independent Scotland will play a constructive role in the world, and the positive nature of the Yes campaign reflects that. It is the UK that waded into the disastrous and illegal Iraq war - that really was cataclysmic.

“And with the most recent polls showing a Yes vote is closer than ever, it is clear that the people of Scotland like what they hear of the case for an independent, fairer and more prosperous Scotland.”