SCOTTISH local authority leaders meeting in Glasgow yesterday passed
an emergency motion condemning the Government's decision not to award
the nuclear submarine refitting contract to Rosyth and calling for the
resignation of Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind and Scottish Secretary
Ian Lang.
Five Tory councillors opposed the motion with 73 Labour, Liberal
Democrat, SNP, and Independent councillors in favour.
The motion called for an immediate meeting with appropriate Ministers
and a commitment from the Government to review the decision to award the
contract to Devonport in the light of full public scrutiny of a
comprehensive financial appraisal of all the implications of the matter.
Put forward by Labour-controlled Fife Regional Council to a full
meeting of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the motion also
used the words ''betrayal by the Government''.
It said there had been ''a clear and unequivocal breach of a long
standing commitment'' to the people of Scotland.
Cosla's Labour president, Councillor Charles Gray, condemned ''the
disgraceful decision'' taken by the Government and appealed for the
motion to be given unanimous cross-party backing.
Nevertheless the small Tory group were unhappy with some of the
wording and looked set to abstain on the vote.
When it became clear unanimity was unlikely, Labour councillor Mervyn
Rolfe from Tayside told the meeting that the motion should include a
call for the resignation of Mr Rifkind and Mr Lang and this was adopted.
Berwickshire Tory leader Councillor Jim Evans then made it clear the
Tories would vote against the amended motion. He said Mr Lang had fought
very hard for the jobs at Rosyth.
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