The Chancellor George Osborne is set to make a surprise visit to Faslane Naval Base tomorrow in a move that has antagonised anti-nuclear campaigners and Scottish MPs.
Osborne’s controversial trip north of the border has attracted widespread criticism, with CND saying it is ‘disrespectful’ following the revelations of whistle-blower William McNeilly, who broke his silence on fears over the safety of Trident in the Sunday Herald earlier this year.
John Ainslie, Coordinator for Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "George Osborne's presence at Faslane will do nothing to reassure the Scottish public that everything is safe at Britain's nuclear base.
“We know from the revelations of William McNeilly that Trident is a 'disaster waiting to happen'. The Chancellor is about to commit billions of pounds to renewing Trident, although he knows that Holyrood and 57 of our 59 MPs are against this.
“If he had any respect for Scotland he would be coming here to announce that Trident would be scrapped. Sadly I suspect that this is not the case."
William McNeilly was discharged from the Navy earlier this year after revealing to The Sunday Herald a catalogue of safety and security issues at the Faslane Base.
Local SNP MP Brendan O'Hara believes that Osborne will be told exactly what the people of Scotland think about the renewal of the nuclear deterrent when he visits the area.
O'Hara said: “I find it very strange indeed that he is coming to the constituency. I hope when he is here that he gets the message loud and clear that Scotland does not want to spend £100 million on trident replacement or renewal. 57 of the 59 Scottish MPs are implacably opposed to trident renewal and the people of Scotland are clearly opposed to the policy and I think he will hear that message.”
Osborne will also visit Aberdeen later on Monday to discuss the problems facing the UK oil industry.
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