The First Minister has confirmed she would not use “immoral” nuclear weapons in a rebuke to Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson.
Speaking during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon rejected the idea of using the nuclear deterrent, saying it had the potential to kill “millions or even tens of millions” of people.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon slams Jo Swinson for 'disgraceful response' to nuclear weapons question
In response to a question from SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth, which mentioned Ms Swinson by name, the First Minister was unequivocal in her response.
Ms Gilruth described the answer given by Ms Swinson following the ITV leaders’ debate – that she would use nuclear weapons – as “disgraceful”.
The Liberal Democrat leader has been criticised for her response, including by the First Minister.
Ms Sturgeon said: “No I wouldn’t. I oppose nuclear weapons.
“Whenever that question is asked, it should be pointed out that anybody who used nuclear weapons would be doing something that would potentially lead to the deaths of millions, perhaps tens of millions of people.
“I think nuclear weapons are immoral, I think they’re ineffective and I think they’re a waste of money.
“I would not countenance their use and I look forward to the day where not just Scotland is free of nuclear weapons, but the world is free of nuclear weapons.”
It’s sickening to hear this question asked and answered as if it’s some kind of virility test and without any context. Using nuclear weapons would mean killing millions of people. Those consequences should be made clear. (FWIW – and for that reason – my answer is ‘no’) https://t.co/jYfQ0XBvuh
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) November 20, 2019
The First Minister had previously tweeted her disapproval at Ms Swinson’s position, describing the exchange as “sickening”.
READ MORE: Jo Swinson warns against 'fake news' after viral squirrel abuse story
During a round of interviews with leaders not included in the main ITV debate on Tuesday, Ms Swinson was asked a series of “quick-fire” questions, including about whether she would use a nuclear weapon or not.
She decisively answered: “Yes.”
Ms Sturgeon and her party have repeatedly voiced their opposition to nuclear weapons, including pledging in the 2014 White Paper to remove the Trident deterrent system from Scotland in the first Holyrood term following an independence vote.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel