After weeks of speculation, First Minister Alex Salmond insists he has received categorical assurances the controversial review of RAF bases will not involve a direct battle between Leuchars and Lossiemouth.
Mr Salmond was speaking on Monday following a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.
The outcome of the discussions is bound to bring relief to campaigners, as the potential for a rift opening up between those battling for the bases in Fife and Moray promised to be hugely damaging.
Campaigners always said they wanted to fight the threat to both Scottish bases “shoulder-to-shoulder.”
During a visit to Leuchars last Friday, Mr Salmond warned Scotland would inevitably be the loser should such a battle take place.
The closure of RAF Kinloss as an air base has already been confirmed by the cancellation of new Nimrod orders. A decision on the other two will be announced after the Scottish elections in May.
Following his Downing Street talks, Mr Salmond who has lobbied for both Leuchars and Lossiemouth to be retained said he was “encouraged.”
“The Prime Minister said it was not a choice between Scotland’s two remaining RAF bases,” he said. “He said they were all being considered on an equal footing with every other base.”
Mr Salmond believes the case for the retention of bases in both Moray and Fife is compelling.
“The point I made was quite simple. In this review Scotland has already lost given the assumed closure of RAF Kinloss one-third of our air capacity, in a review which is closing about 20% of the capacity across the UK.
“It would be insupportable for Scotland to lose two-thirds, with either the closure of RAF Lossiemouth or the closure of RAF Leuchars.
“As we have said from the very start, it should not be a case of playing one community off against the other. The case for preserving both Leuchars and Lossiemouth is overwhelming, and I made clear to the prime minister that the people of both Moray and Fife deserve an early resolution to this situation they should not be kept in the dark any longer.”
A recent economic impact assessment by Fife Council outlined the devastating effect closure of RAF Leuchars would have. It suggested the local economy would take a hit to the tune of £60 million and that up to 2000 jobs could be lost.To show your support for RAF Leuchars, leave a comment below or click here.