A Rosyth SNP councillor has accused No campaigners of scaremongering over dockyard contracts.
Douglas Chapman spoke out in response to a Babcock warning, backed by trade unions, that Scottish independence would result in Rosyth missing out on Royal Navy contracts.
He said: “We have some of the best engineers and skilled tradesmen and women at Rosyth and to suggest that these skills could not or would not be used after we become an independent nation is preposterous and undermines confidence in the workforce.”
Trade unions warned that half a century of refitting work on the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers being assembled in Fife could be lost if Scotland votes Yes on September 18.
Mr Chapman added: “If the refits do not come to Rosyth, then the UK will have to create a dockyard capable of refitting these massive vessels and that could add millions on to the refit price tag for the UK Government.
“Given the state of UK finances and their already overstretched defence budget, that’s money they don’t have and it would make supreme sense, both in financial and in technical terms, to award any future refit contract for the carriers to the highly skilled workforce at Rosyth.”
Babcock said in its report, published this week, independence would plunge the group’s businesses into uncertainty.
Labour councillor Pat Callaghan said: “I do struggle (when) hearing the usual criticism, but no new ideas or alternatives, from the SNP over the independence question.
“They want an independent nation but also the Queen as head of state? They want an independent nation but can’t organise collection of taxes or payment of benefits.
“They’ve had a written Scottish constitution since 2001 but failed to discuss or disclose this with us.
“And now they are inventing work and contracts for Rosyth to promote another flawed facet of their quest for separation from Westminster in favour of annexation with Brussels.”