SNP and Tories clash on regiments

Fight over regiments' future goes on

Monday, 25, Apr 2005 12:00

The Scottish National Party and the Scottish Conservatives have clashed today over who is the real opposition to plans to merge the Scottish regiments.

The SNP today stressed that it would make keeping Scotland's six regiments one of its priorities.

Many of its candidates are being backed by the Save the Scottish Regiments campaign. Its spokesman, Jeff Duncan, said: "SNP MPs have provided the regiments with a strong voice at Westminster. They have stood up to Labour and their betrayal of our troops."

But Shadow Scottish Secretary Peter Duncan said that while he was "delighted" the SNP was backing the campaign, it stood no chance of reversing the plans.

Mr Duncan said: "The wholesale destruction of Scotland's proud and historic Scottish regiments is an act of betrayal by Labour. I am delighted that the SNP has joined the campaign, but they must face up to the simple truth that, whilst they can stand in this election, they can't deliver.

"The Conservatives are Scotland's true national party. The SNP cannot save our regiments because they cannot form a UK government."

He said that "reality" was that if the SNP really cared about Scotland's regiments "they would do the honest thing and encourage people to vote Scottish Conservative on May 5. The question for Alex Salmond is 'Do you really care enough about Scotland to do that?'"

But, the SNP said that the Conservatives could not be trusted as they had scrapped regiments in the past.

Pete Wishart, candidate for Perth and North Perthshire, said: "The anti-Scottish Tories can't be trusted to save anything given that they scrapped regiments back in the 1990s. It was they who scrapped the Gordon Highlanders and Queen's own Highlanders when they were in government in 1994.

"The Tory defence spokesman also refused to back the Scottish regiments when challenged. He said that they would not reverse the Labour cuts. And when the decision to scrap the regiments was made the sole Scottish Tory couldn't be bothered to turn up. They have failed our regiments in the past and quite simply cannot be trusted."