Salmond wants apology over troops

Mar 10 2013

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has called on David Cameron to apologise for what he describes as the Government's broken commitment on troops in Scotland.

In a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Salmond said the Government's bond of trust with Scots had been damaged by the slimming down of plans to increase soldier numbers north of the border.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced on Tuesday that the number of Armed Forces personnel will increase by about 600, far fewer than was promised in 2011.

Mr Salmond wrote: "This week has seen an announcement by your Government on military basing which shamefully disregards clear promises to Scotland that were made less than two years ago.

"You should now apologise for the breaking of those commitments to the people of Scotland.

"You must also now commit to work constructively with us to ensure that the most positive outcomes possible are achieved for communities around Scotland and, crucially, for service personnel and their families affected by these changes."

The SNP leader said the Scottish Government had engaged with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on "every possible occasion" since details of the Strategic Defence and Security Review were announced.

Responding to Mr Salmond's letter, a Downing Street spokesman said: "It is regrettable that the First Minister has chosen to write in such intemperate terms about an announcement that will increase both the army and overall military footprint in Scotland.

"The review has brought certainty and security to our Armed Forces in Scotland. It is the policy of the Scottish Government to remove them entirely.

"The total number of armed forces personnel will rise in Scotland by over 600 - giving Scotland its fair share of military numbers on a population basis - and we will be spending more than £100 million on refurbishing military facilities in Scotland."