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Scottish Labour considers Trident debate Scottish Labour to vote on Trident renewal
(about 4 hours later)
Scottish Labour is to decide whether or not to discuss the thorny issue of Trident renewal as its conference gets under way in Perth. Scottish Labour is to hold a debate on whether or not it should call for the UK's Trident nuclear missile system to be scrapped.
Delegates will be gathering with next year's Holyrood elections just six months away, and polls suggesting the party is trailing far behind the SNP. Delegates have agreed to discuss a motion opposing the renewal of Trident at its conference in Perth.
Scottish Labour has said it wants to use the conference to encourage voters to "take a fresh look" at the party. The debate and vote will be held on Sunday afternoon.
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also due to address the conference. It could put Scottish Labour at odds with the main UK party, which currently backs replacing the country's nuclear deterrent.
Labour remains committed to renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system, which is based at Faslane on the Clyde, despite it being strongly opposed by Mr Corbyn. However, new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is strongly opposed to nuclear weapons.
Delegates at the party's UK conference in Brighton voted to debate other issues rather than Trident last month. Watch live streaming coverage of Mr Corbyn's speech
Strength of feeling In his address to the conference shortly after the Trident announcement was made, Mr Corbyn told delegates they would be taking a decision "for the good of the people of Scotland, and for the good of our party".
Scottish members are to decide on Friday whether a motion opposing Trident renewal should be discussed on Sunday. 'Skilled jobs'
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale told the BBC she understood the strength of feeling on the issue, and was "open-minded" about the possibility of her party voting not to replace the nuclear weapons system. Acknowledging concerns about the potential impact on defence jobs if the Trident replacement is cancelled, he said: "We know there are skilled jobs in the defence industry and we cannot be negligent about skilled jobs. We must secure every one of them.
"But don't tell me we can't also put some of those skills to better and different use: security of jobs for innovators, engineers, technicians, security staff and civil servants are important.
"No one should even consider allocating one penny of any money that may be saved by not renewing Trident until every one of those skills and jobs are protected through a proper programme of management of that change."
Delegates at the party's UK conference in Brighton last month voted to debate other issues rather than Trident, which is based at the Faslane submarine base on the Clyde.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale told the BBC she understood the strength of feeling on the issue, and was "open-minded" about the possibility of her party voting not to replace the nuclear weapons system.
And she said that if a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines was not ordered, the money saved should go to the communities that lose out.And she said that if a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines was not ordered, the money saved should go to the communities that lose out.
She seemed relaxed about Scottish Labour potentially having a different position from the UK party, and said there would be a process for reaching agreed manifesto positions on contentious issues, and where this is not possible, there could be a system of "agreed abstention". Where do the parties stand on Trident renewal?
Conservative leader and Prime Minister David Cameron has always maintained the UK needs to keep its nuclear weapons, calling it as "insurance policy" against attacks. Replacing Trident was a Tory manifesto pledge in the general election.
Labour has supported Trident renewal, saying it has been a "cornerstone" of peace and security for nearly 50 years - but that policy is now in doubt after the election of long-time opponent Jeremy Corbyn as party leader. He says the issue will form part of their defence review, but has also said that even if there were a replacement system, he would never use them as PM.
The SNP, which now has 56 MPs in the House of Commons, opposes Trident renewal. During the election campaign it described Trident as "unusable and indefensible - and the plans to renew it are ludicrous on both defence and financial grounds".
The Lib Dems, who insisted on no final decision being taken while they were in coalition, have always been sceptical about a like-for-like replacement and insisted on a value for money review. They back a "step down the nuclear ladder" with a smaller nuclear weapons system providing a "minimal yet credible" deterrent.
Read more about Trident renewal here
Labour's only surviving Scottish MP has also insisted the party could have different policies on the renewal of Trident north and south of the border.Labour's only surviving Scottish MP has also insisted the party could have different policies on the renewal of Trident north and south of the border.
Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said moves to make the party north of the border more autonomous meant it could "have a different position on anything it wants". Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said moves to make the party in Scotland more autonomous meant it could "have a different position on anything it wants".
Ahead of the conference, Lothians MSP and former Scottish Labour leadership contender Neil Findlay, who is an ally of Mr Corbyn in his opposition to nuclear weapons, said the party cannot take a "a head-in-the-sand approach" when delegates are asked to decide on Friday whether or not to hold a Trident debate. Lothians MSP and former Scottish Labour leadership contender Neil Findlay, who is an ally of Mr Corbyn in his opposition to nuclear weapons, had warned the party against taking a "a head-in-the-sand approach" to Trident.
Writing in the conference bulletin of the Labour Campaign for Socialism, Mr Findlay warned his party: "If we shy away from discussing this issue, we can be sure that others won't be slow in pointing out our reluctance to do so." Writing in the conference bulletin of the Labour Campaign for Socialism, Mr Findlay said: "If we shy away from discussing this issue, we can be sure that others won't be slow in pointing out our reluctance to do so."
The GMB union has also written party members warning that cancelling the Trident replacement would threaten thousands of defence jobs in Scotland. The GMB union has written to party members warning that cancelling the Trident replacement would threaten thousands of defence jobs in Scotland.
Scottish Labour suffered a devastating defeat in May's general election, with the party losing 40 of its 41 seats to the SNP, which has pledged to remove nuclear weapons from Scottish waters.Scottish Labour suffered a devastating defeat in May's general election, with the party losing 40 of its 41 seats to the SNP, which has pledged to remove nuclear weapons from Scottish waters.
But it has reported a jump in membership since Mr Corbyn became UK party leader last month.But it has reported a jump in membership since Mr Corbyn became UK party leader last month.
In his speech, Mr Corbyn is expected to present Labour as a socialist alternative to the SNP. He will also challenge Conservative tax credit cuts and Scottish government cuts in education. In his speech, Mr Corbyn also presented Labour as a socialist alternative to the SNP. He will also challenge Conservative tax credit cuts and Scottish government cuts in education.
He will add: "If you're satisfied with rising inequality, rising child poverty and widening health inequalities, then Labour is not for you. If you're satisfied that nearly a million people in Scotland are in fuel poverty or that half of all housing in Scotland falls short of official quality standards, then Labour isn't for you." He added: "If you're satisfied with rising inequality, rising child poverty and widening health inequalities, then Labour is not for you. If you're satisfied that nearly a million people in Scotland are in fuel poverty or that half of all housing in Scotland falls short of official quality standards, then Labour isn't for you."
Mr Corbyn last week backed Ms Dugdale's proposals for Scottish Labour to be given greater autonomy over areas such as policy making, candidate selection and membership.Mr Corbyn last week backed Ms Dugdale's proposals for Scottish Labour to be given greater autonomy over areas such as policy making, candidate selection and membership.
Debate over the position of the party in Scotland has raged since last year's independence referendum, after which former leader Johann Lamont resigned after claiming the London leadership treated it like a "branch office".Debate over the position of the party in Scotland has raged since last year's independence referendum, after which former leader Johann Lamont resigned after claiming the London leadership treated it like a "branch office".
'Changing world' The Scottish Labour conference can be watched live online from 14:05 to 16:05 on Friday, and from 13:40 to 15:40 on Saturday. Conference 2015: Scottish Labour Party will also be shown on BBC Two Scotland on Saturday.
Ms Dugdale, who will also use the conference to announce new plans to help more youngsters leaving care to go on to university, will say that Labour is "well aware of the challenges we face" after receiving a "resounding message from the voters in May".
She will add that while that message was "painful", there is "now a new generation of leadership has taken up the challenge of renewing our party".
And she will insist that the party saying the party is "confident about the future" and "upbeat about the opportunities that come in a changing world".
Ms Dugdale will say: "I'm of a generation that has grown up with the Scottish Parliament as the centre of Scottish politics.
"We start this conference more ambitious for our parliament, more upbeat about the future, more determined than ever to stand up to the Scottish establishment.
"We can be the party that people put their trust in once again. It won't happen overnight. But the changes we are making under my leadership will make us fit for the future."
Plans for young people leaving care to receive full grant support, worth £6,000 a year, if they make it to university will also be unveiled by Ms Dugdale.
She will tell a fringe event at the conference that youngsters who are in care "are some of the most vulnerable in our communities", adding that the "reality is that they are more likely to go to jail than university".
The Scottish Labour conference can be watched live online from 09:50 to 11:50 and from 14:05 to 16:05 on Friday, and from 13:40 to 15:40 on Saturday. Conference 2015: Scottish Labour Party will also be shown on BBC Two Scotland on Saturday.