THE SNP have declared that “nuclear weapons have no future in Scotland”.

The party’s Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald made the comment as a new UN treaty outlawing nuclear weapons came into force in international law today.

The MP added: “In the SNP’s vision for an independent Scottish foreign policy, there will be no place for of mass destruction on our soil.”

In the wake of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) taking effect, a new poll, carried out by Survation for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), showed 59% of respondents favoured the UK signing up to the agreement, which is supported by 122 UN member states.

The legislation outlaws the development, possession and deployment of nuclear weapons by signatory states. It also places obligations on them to assist victims of nuclear weapons use and testing.

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The CND poll also shows that 77% of people support a total global ban on nuclear weapons.

The national survey was carried out on January 12 and 13. Of the 59% who support the UK signing the UN treaty, 50% of Conservative voters and 68% of Labour voters backed the move.

Seventy-one per cent of Conservative voters and 83% of Labour voters said they supported the total global ban on weapons.

Both the signing of the treaty and a global ban have majority backing across every single demographic. This includes age, regions and nations, education level, income bracket and voting history for the 2019 General Election and 2016 EU referendum.

CND said: “This polling makes clear that there is majority public support across the UK for the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty, and overwhelming opposition to nuclear weapons.

“The UK Government should take a lead by signing and ratifying the TPNW as the first step towards a defence strategy that guarantees global security, rather than threatening it with dangerous nuclear weapons.”

The group said the UK Government has been strongly opposed to the treaty and has boycotted UN negotiations. But campaigns and religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, have placed the Government under pressure to add its name to the agreement.

The Church of Scotland welcomed the new international treaty, with the Very Reverend Dr Susan Brown, convener of the Faith Impact Forum of the Church of Scotland, saying: “As people of faith, we share a belief that human life is precious and that the world around us is priceless.

“Nuclear weapons threaten to destroy the lives and planet which our faiths celebrate.

“We welcome the arrival of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which will allow us and future generations to enjoy a more peaceful world.

“We call on the UK Government to pursue constructive dialogue with the many governments who support this treaty, and to strive for a just and genuine peace.”

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The Scottish Greens added that Scotland should accede to the UN treaty as soon as the country gains independence.

External affairs spokesperson Ross Greer said: “This is a momentous day in the campaign to rid the world of these brutal and indiscriminate weapons of mass slaughter.

“Much of the UK’s stockpile of these evil bombs is of course kept in Scotland. One of our first acts after independence must be to join the family of nations, including our near neighbours in Ireland, who have signed this treaty.

“With that, the UK’s nuclear stockpile should be immediately evicted from the base at Faslane, which can be put to far safer and more productive use.

“Once Scotland is no longer a part of the nuclear map, the UK and America would be forced to rethink their nuclear strategy, particularly given the lack of suitable locations in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to dock the submarines and their world-ending payloads.

“That would be a hugely positive step on the road to global disarmament.”