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

The SNP has accused Westminster of putting Scotland’s safety at risk.

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.

It shows the Army is now less than half the size it was in the 1980s.

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% of GDP, falling to 2.7% by 1997, 2.5% by 2010 and 2.4% 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 £2bn 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 £700m invested to improve infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth in order to support the operation of Typhoons, P-8 Poseidon, and Wedgetail.”