Scotland’s safety put at risk by Westminster’s armed forces cuts say SNP

Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

The SNP has accused Westminster of putting Scotland’s safety at risk as it says new analysis shows the army is now less than half the size it was in the 1980s.

Analysis by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the party, shows the size of the UK armed forces has been cut by every Labour and Tory government for nearly half a century.

When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, the UK’s armed forces had around 315,000 active personnel.

That fell to 210,800 by the time of the 1997 Labour government, 191,710 when the Tories came to power in 2010, 138,121 when Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister in May 2024, and 137,966 by April this year.

The size of the Army has been cut by around half over the same period from 156,000 to 74,368, the Royal Navy has been reduced from 73,000 to 32,516, and the Royal Air Force has been cut by almost two-thirds from 86,000 to 31,082, the SNP said.

The analysis found the number of armed forces personnel based in Scotland has also fallen, from 19,016 in 1979 to 9,740 in 2025.

According to the research, the number of Royal Navy ships fell from 89 at the turn of the millennium to 57 by 2025, while the number of destroyers was cut from 11 to six. The number of frigates has also reduced, from 21 to 11, and the number of submarines is down from 16 to nine.

Overall, spending on defence has been cut in half as a proportion of GDP between the 1980s and today.

In 1979, spending was 4.6 per cent of GDP, falling to 2.7 per cent by 1997, 2.5 per cent by 2010 and 2.4 per cent by 2025.

SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said: “The Labour Government is failing to take national security seriously enough following decades of Westminster cuts to our armed forces, which have left the UK increasingly vulnerable.

“Every Labour Party and Tory government, for more than half a century, have made increasingly deeper cuts to our armed forces – slashing the size of the Army, Navy and RAF, reducing Scottish regiments, depleting equipment, and cutting the number of combat vehicles, naval ships and aircraft.

“By failing to deliver the investment needed, Westminster is putting Scotland’s safety at risk.

“Keir Starmer lost two defence ministers, and his own job, over his long-delayed and underfunded plans.

“As he heads to the exit door, it is vital that the next UK prime minister urgently gets a grip, delivers the investment required and ensures Scotland gets its fair share.

“The SNP has consistently called for more investment in conventional defence capabilities, and more support for our forces, but instead Westminster has decimated them.

“At a time of global crisis and instability, we cannot afford any more Westminster dithering and delays.

“As Scotland marks Armed Forces Week, the SNP is urging the UK Government to finally deliver the funding our armed forces need.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “Scotland is a defence industrial powerhouse.

“In 2024/25, the MoD directly spent more than £2 billion in Scotland, supporting 11,800 industry jobs and investing in world-class shipbuilding, electronic systems and submarine technology which protects our personnel and allies.

“Scotland’s biggest shipyards are full as a direct result of the significant programme of work we have under way.

“Recent years have seen over £700 million invested to improve infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth in order to support the operation of Typhoons, P-8 Poseidon, and Wedgetail.”

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have pledged to make serving in the reserves tax free as part of plans to boost the size of Britain’s armed forces.

The party plans to use some of the money saved by reintroducing the two-child benefit cap to remove taxes on up to 30 days of reserve service per year. The move is expected to help recruit an extra 18,000 reservists, bringing the size of the reserves up to 50,000.

It is also expected to encourage more reservists to complete their minimum number of training days, which less than half currently do.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “To fund our defence, Britain has to cut its welfare bill. That is why the Conservatives will restore the two-child benefit cap and use the money saved on defence.”

Labour removed the two-child cap, introduced under the previous Conservative government, saying it would lift 450,000 children out of poverty at a cost of £3.2 billion.

But the Conservatives have said reintroducing the cap will allow them to both increase the size of the reserves and recruit an extra 6,000 regular soldiers in the face of Russian aggression. The party said cutting taxes for reservists would cost up to £152 million, and could save those serving hundreds of pounds, depending on their rank.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said Britain should emulate its Nato allies who were also increasing the size of their reserve forces.

He said: “Whilst other countries have used conscription, we remain committed to a professional, volunteer armed forces – and that means we need to make reserve service financially worthwhile.

“For those who already have full-time jobs and want to serve their country, the last thing we should want is for them to be clobbered by the taxman for giving up their evenings and weekends.”

Some 32,030 people currently serve in the UK’s volunteer reserve, according to Ministry of Defence figures from April this year. The number of reservists has increased slightly in the past year, but is still lower than the 32,420 people serving in April 2024, just before Labour came to power.

The Conservatives’ proposal comes amid a row over defence spending, with the Government expected to press ahead with publishing its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan – despite the impending change of prime minister.

Arguments over funding for the plan have already prompted the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary, who said the Treasury had not offered enough money to keep Britain safe. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed that the plan will “meet the moment”.

Defence minister Luke Pollard said: “The Tories can’t rewrite history. After 14 years in government they cut the British Army to the smallest size since Napoleon, with recruitment and retention in crisis.

“This Labour Government is now rebuilding our military, including through increasing the size of our strategic reserves and giving them more opportunities to work with their regular counterparts. Labour is giving our armed forces the backing they deserve.”