SCOTTISH independence would weaken NATO by “removing part of its nuclear defence,” Ben Wallace has told MPs. 

The Denfence Minister said the SNP’s enthusiasm for the alliance was undermined by their willingness to sign up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which forbids any signatory to use, develop or stockpile nuclear weapons.

The comments from the Secretary of State came during Defence Questions in the Commons. 

Tory MP John Lamont told the minister that according to polling, Trident enjoys 58 per cent support amongst Scots. 

“And yet the SNP and Green ministers in the Scottish Government wish to see us remove trident and even leave NATO altogether,” he added. “Now, given the current international crisis does the Defence Secretary think their position is wise?”

Mr Wallace did not think it was wise. 

He told MPs: “I think it's certainly the case that the SNP can't have it both ways. They want an independent Scotland to join NATO, while also removing part of its nuclear defence.

“And I noticed the First Minister alone said in 2021 that an independent Scotland would be a keen signatory to the prohibition of nuclear weapons.

"That would make it the only NATO country who would be a signatory to that treaty and is a clue that they say one thing, but do another.”

Last month, during a trip to the US, Nicola Sturgeon said Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia had “strengthened” her conviction that an independent Scotland should join NATO. 

In a speech at the Brookings Insitute, the First Minister said: "I am firm in my view that - coupled with a strong relationship with the UK - membership of the EU and of NATO will be cornerstones of an independent Scotland’s security policy.

"The Scottish Government is acutely aware of Scotland’s strategic position on the northern edge of Europe, close to the Arctic.

"Russian military aircraft regularly approach the UK’s area of interest, and in recent years there has been an increase in Russian submarine patrols within the North Atlantic.

"And so we are clearer than ever that membership of NATO would not only be vital to Scotland’s security - though it most definitely would be - it would also be the principal way in which an independent Scotland, in an interdependent world, would contribute to the collective security of our neighbours and allies."

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson suggested the party could drop its pledge to sign the TPNW. 

Speaking at a pro-independence conference in Aberdeen, Alyn Smith said: “We're having the issues about signing the TPNW and there are issues with that for us, because the nuclear element of Nato is part of the Acquis Communautaire and that needs to be signed up to.

"But a piece of paper isnae going to keep us safe.

"What Vladimir Putin has done in Ukraine is I think brought home to an awful lot of people in the Yes movement and wider that what is going to keep us safe is international solidarity and a rules-based international order, defended by a credible organisation.

"Does it make me happy, does it give me a warm fuzzy feeling? No it doesnae, but it is a big, cold, chilly world out there and I think we owe it to the people of Scotland that we've done this stuff seriously, we've done our homework on this."

Mr Smith later said that he stood by his and his party’s commitment to sign the TPNW.

He told the Scotsman: “The SNP’s commitment to sign the TPNW and remove nuclear weapons from Scotland swiftly and safely has been affirmed not only by conference, but by each individual parliamentarian. This is a commitment I stand by.”