Stuart McMillan, SNP MSP for West of Scotland, said the report ends ‘scare stories’ perpetuated by the No campaign, whilst Jackie Baillie, Labour MSP for Helensburgh, said it ‘puts to bed’ the Yes campaign’s assertions that independence would result in an end to the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

The report, published by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), also states the cost of relocating nuclear submarines would be cheaper than previously thought, but it would take up to 10 years.

The SNP says its plans to remove nuclear weapons within four years of independence, however the report says it could take a decade to build a base for the submarines elsewhere in the UK.

In response, Mr McMillan said the Scottish Government has set out ‘a clear time frame’ of removing weapons of mass destruction from Scotland within the term of the first independent Scottish Parliament, by 2020.

He added: “This would save the Scottish taxpayer a vast sum, as we would no longer have to contribute towards the £100bn for Trident’s renewal.

“People of Helensburgh and Lomond are aware that Faslane will have a future in an independent Scotland as it will become the conventional naval base, however it will be free from weapons of mass destruction.

“A Yes vote in the upcoming referendum will allow Scotland to remove these weapons of mass destruction and spend the savings more wisely on building a fairer society.” Hugh Chalmers and Malcolm Chalmers compiled the report, which stated it would cost up to £4bn to move the nuclear submarines, not including any costs associated with land purchase and clearance of existing buildings – which is less than a previously-predicted £20-25bn. The favoured site for relocation would be Devonport, in Plymouth.

In response, Ms Baillie said: “What the SNP is effectively proposing is the movement of Trident from one side of the border to the other and this would not bring us any closer to worldwide nuclear disarmament.

“It’s clear now that independence would achieve nothing apart from putting 11,000 local jobs at risk and devastating the local economy in Helensburgh and Lomond.

“The unions and the contractors have already demolished the SNP’s plans for a conventional base and shown that it simply wouldn’t work. The nationalists are running out of time to provide answers and this latest report is hardly reassuring for base workers and their families worried about the future. After all the SNP has admitted to only employing 2,000 naval personnel after independence, some 4,700 short of what is required.” The Scottish CND questioned the possibility of relocating Trident if Scotland becomes independent.

John Ainslie, Coordinator of Scottish CND, said: “The practical problems of relocating Trident provide an opportunity for people in the rest of the UK to put an end to the needless waste of billions of pounds on Weapons of Mass Destruction.”