Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is clear in our support for international law, but Mercedes Villalba will have to accept that I am not a lawyer, so I am not in a position to judge. The First Minister has been absolutely clear about the concerns that we have about the nature of the offensive action conducted by the United States and Israel.

Specifically on the question, Presiding Officer, I draw Mercedes Villalba’s attention to the fact that non-UK military flights are required to obtain diplomatic flight clearance from the UK Ministry of Defence in order to fly in UK airspace and land in the UK; I also note that aviation, national security and defence are all reserved issues. Notwithstanding those points, we are seeking clarity from the UK Government that no aircraft have passed through Scottish Government-owned airspace as part of offensive operations against Iran.

The First Minister has made public his views and the views of the Scottish Government for everyone to hear, so I have no doubt that they have been heard by the United States consulate in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s position in relation to the United States and Israeli offensive in Iran has been made absolutely clear.

On the specific question, I have updated Parliament on the position as we find it. We have no information about any aircraft passing through Scottish Government-owned airports taking part in direct military operations. Of course, there is a great distance between Scotland and Iran, so the attacks by US and Israeli forces have been taking place from that theatre. Nevertheless, questions have been raised about the use of Prestwick and other airports, and we are seeking clarity from the United Kingdom Government on that.

Jamie Greene is absolutely right to highlight those two groups. First, although estimates vary, it is thought that there are 300,000 UK citizens in the affected region; pro rata, that would be about 24,000 people from Scotland—it might be slightly more or slightly less. Some of those people are permanently resident in one of the territories or countries that I was talking about a moment ago; others are visiting those areas. Many of us have constituents who have been finding it very difficult to get back. We are working with the FCDO on that issue.

Mr Greene is also right to highlight that Scotland is a country in which there are people from all backgrounds and all parts of the world. There are people living in Scotland who are originally from Iran or other countries that are impacted, and they have friends and families.

I assure Mr Greene and colleagues across parties that work is proceeding across Government to understand ways in which we can support community cohesion, find out whether any help or support is required and make sure that the consular advice that has been issued is reaching the people who need it most. I would be grateful if Jamie Greene and colleagues from across the parties amplified the advice that has been issued by the FCDO and the Scottish Government, to help people understand where they can get the maximum information.

I thank Jamie Greene for his follow-up question. There was much to it. The First Minister has outlined the Scottish Government’s position that we support international law and has outlined our concerns. Those concerns are shared by a great many people around the country and around the world and—no doubt—by members in the chamber.

We are very much seized of the issue of community relations. There will be a lot of people who, on the one hand, are delighted to see the demise of a dictator in Iran who has the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians on his hands, including opponents of the regime, people of different minorities and LGBT people—I could go on. However, at the same time, a conflict is on-going. People are dying and, understandably, people have grave concerns about what is happening.

Returning specifically to the scope of the question about what the Scottish Government is able to do, I assure Mr Greene that we are working across Government to establish where there is a locus for us to be helpful and supportive to people in Scotland and to think about Scottish residents who find themselves in the war-torn and impacted region.

The Scottish Government has been in daily contact with the United Kingdom Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since Israeli and US military action began against Iran. The FCDO has responsibility for consular support of British citizens overseas, and I am grateful for its updates and co-operation so far.

The Scottish Government has been proactively amplifying FCDO travel advice for all UK citizens in the region, and I encourage all members to do likewise. Anyone who is affected should monitor FCDO travel advice and any official updates. The FCDO has asked British citizens in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to register their presence in order to ensure that they receive updates. If anyone needs consular assistance, they should contact the nearest UK diplomatic mission—be that a consulate, an embassy or a high commission—or the FCDO’s 24-hour helpline, which is on 0207 008 1500.

At the First Minister’s request, officials across the Scottish Government are working at pace to understand and mitigate any impacts that the conflict may have for Scots at home and abroad. That includes any steps that can be taken to reassure different communities around Scotland.

As the First Minister has said, it is not clear that the actions taken by the United States and Israel were compatible with the international rules-based system. The Iranian regime is, of course, repugnant and repressive, but we all still have to operate within the law.

The Prime Minister was correct not to be involved with the initial intervention. However, there is now a significant risk towards UK interests due to the fact that the Prime Minister has made UK bases available to the United States for defensive action. That demonstrates the severity of the situation and the risks that we now face. The international community must apply pressure to ensure that we seek a diplomatic solution and avoid further escalation.

Scottish Government officials and ministers have held regular discussions with the UK Government over the past few days. We have heard its position and discussed with it the importance of consular support for people from Scotland who are in the region.

Glasgow Prestwick airport and some Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd airports are an important stopover point for many air forces—including the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and those of other NATO partners, such as the United States—and have been for many years. That is in line with UK law, international aviation standards and long-standing agreements between allied nations.

Prestwick is a civilian facility, and there are, of course, a plethora of military bases available to the United States in the middle east. We have no information on whether any aircraft that recently passed through Scotland, or whatever nation, were involved in operations against Iran. That said, we believe that it is essential that all nations abide by the international rules-based system. The events in Iran over the past few days do not suggest to us that the United States and Israel have done that.

It is also the case that the UK Prime Minister has said that UK military bases must not be used in US or Israeli offensive operations against Iran. The same must apply to non-military bases. We are therefore seeking clarity, not least from the UK Government, that no aircraft passing through Scottish Government-owned airports are part of offensive operations against Iran.

I think that I have already answered that question. We have made approaches to the UK Government to seek clarity, because we want to be assured that no aircraft passing through Scottish Government-owned airports have been part of offensive operations against Iran. I have now said that twice. We are in the process of establishing clarity on that. Should there be any updates in regard to that question, I would be happy to keep Mercedes Villalba and other members of the chamber updated.

The first thing that I would say to Patrick Harvie is that, as he knows, the Scottish Government’s position on international law and maintaining international law is absolutely clear, and the First Minister has outlined that.

I remind Patrick Harvie that I sat in the House of Commons and voted against Iraq military operations in past decades, so my record on the subject is absolutely clear. The Scottish Government’s position is absolutely clear. We support international law.

I have pointed out that we are seeking clarity from the UK Government in relation to aircraft passing through Scottish Government-owned airports. We have no information, as I have already said, that any such aircraft have taken part in offensive military operations, and we are seeking clarity from the UK Government on that point.

:Ironically, at least formally, the BBC gets it better than some UK Governments have got it, if I can put it that way. It is baked into how the BBC describes its mission. It talks about “nations and regions” and it has made some big decisions about pushing commissioning and head count out of London to Salford. The facility there is amazing, and it is absolutely right and proper that it should be there.

When one speaks with senior decision makers, one hears very plausible declarations that they want to get the matter right. Nobody from the BBC has taken issue with me about the criticism that I am making, Mr Harvie. I have made points about the BBC talking about “the Government” and other issues, and when I have met senior BBC decision makers, none of them has taken issue with those criticisms. They say that it is all part of the process of trying to do it better and that the experience of Covid helped the BBC to understand that there are four national health services in the UK.