Copyright dailyrecord

Scottish independence would represent a "win" for Vladimir Putin , a senior UK Government figure has warned. Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness, last night tore into the SNP's strident opposition to nuclear weapons and accused the party of costing Scotland jobs. Speaking to a meeting of Scottish journalists at the Ministry of Defence in London, the MP said the nuclear deterrent based on the Clyde was "the thing Putin fears most" about the UK. The Nationalists have a firm commitment to removing all nuclear missiles from the Faslane and Coulport naval bases if Scots vote for independence in the future. But Pollard was insistent that increased aggression from Russia underlined the need for the continuation of the deterrent. He said: "If you look at the international picture, and think you need to be less secure as the answer, you're failing in your understanding of national security. "We need to be absolutely clear. We live in a new era of threat. That means we need to invest more in keeping Britain safe. "And anything that rips apart our security is a win for Putin and an attack on our national security. I am incredibly proud of the men and women who serve on submarines on the Clyde. "To see their hard work effectively attacked by the Scottish Government, that doesn't help our national security and it doesn't help our economy - the defence industry pours billions of pounds into the Scottish economy every year." The SNP has repeatedly argued the money spent on nuclear weapons would be better invested in conventional weapons. But Pollard said the UK Government was already boosting its conventional forces alongside its NATO allies. The Labour MP insisted "the thing Putin fears most is our nuclear deterrent." Pressed on whether Scottish independence would represent a win for Putin, Pollard continued: "I'm very mindful the future of Scotland is very much down to the people of Scotland. "But if I was sat in the Kremlin, and I was looking at the nation that is at the forefront of support for Ukraine, and there is a way to erode its defence capabilities, I would regard that as a win. "That's precisely why it's my job as a Minister to protect our capabilities and protect our national security. And that's why we are investing in defence." Asked if he was frustrated at the SNP's stance towards defence, he added: "I think the strategy they have pursued over many years is to dither and delay. It's not to deliver jobs or investment. "And I think in many cases, it's made those companies that are investing in Scottish jobs, it's made their lives harder, as a narrative that says this isn't a job for your entire career, that puts people off from going down that path. "Right now there are jobs available in Scottish shipyards, building frigates for the Royal Navy and our allies, which will provide for a lifetime employment for those individuals." Dave Doogan, SNP defence spokesman, said: "It is unbelievably crass that a Labour minister is using Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine as a political attack. He should do the right thing and apologise. "Successive Westminster governments have committed to billions on nuclear bombs while cutting conventional troop numbers. It is conventional defence forces that will protect us from the threats we face today – not weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde. "Scotland has a thriving defence sector which saw Norway - a small, independent and nuclear weapon free country - choose to build warships here. That in itself speaks volumes about what our country could be capable of through a fresh start with independence. "Scotland's existing multi billion pound annual contribution to UK defence will be far better spent equipping an independent Scotland with the personnel and materiel we will require to play our key role in NATO just like Norway, Finland and Denmark." To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here