Scottish Labour MP brands Sir Keir Starmer response over Grangemouth 'underwhelming'
A Scottish Labour MP has warned Scotland’s national security will suffer if Sir Keir Starmer fails to deliver on an election promise to “save” the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland.
Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, claimed his party told voters it would intervene over the site, and urged them once again to nationalise the plant.
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Owner Petroineos intends to close the oil refinery this year, prompting fears for 400 jobs. Petroineos argue it is too late to convert the loss-making site to another type of product.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Leishman said: “In the general election campaign, Labour leadership promised that if we won, we would step in and save the Grangemouth refinery, retain those jobs and invest in its future.
“Six months later, this hasn’t happened yet. If the refinery closes, then thousands of jobs will be lost and Scotland’s national security will become massively weaker.
“Now that we are in power, I know that the government should use it to intervene and save the refinery jobs, protect Scotland and deliver on the promise to build Grangemouth for the future. Will the Prime Minister do that?”.
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After loud jeers from the opposition benches, Sir Keir Starmer insisted the UK government had taken action.
He said: “This is a really important point because before July, there was no plan at all to support the workers of Grangemouth. Within weeks, and importantly, we announced a £100 million growth deal, and we’re jointly funding Project Willow to find a viable long-term future.
“It is a really serious point. I take it very seriously and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that viable long-term future is there for the workers, for their communities and all that rely on it.”
However, speaking to The Scotsman after Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Leisham said Sir Keir’s answer was “underwhelming”.
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Hide AdHe said: “There is no point in offering jam tomorrow for workers in a decade, when in quarter two 2025, workers are going to lose their jobs. That is the definition of an unjust transition.”
Mr Leishman also expanded on his concerns for Scotland’s security if the UK dovernment did not take action.
He said: “When we look at the volatility of Europe, the Middle East, in fact the entire world, then being self-sufficient and refining your own oil is of paramount importance. If you've not got a refinery in Scotland, then your energy and your fuel security will weaken. If your energy and food securities are weakened, so is your national security.”
Mr Leishman claimed ministers had been accepting a false narrative and insisted Grangemouth represented a viable investment.
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Hide AdHe said: “I think that government ministers have taken the narrative that has been put forward from Petroineos and swallowed that, and I think they've merely accepted that there's not been nearly enough degree of pushback in my opinion.
“Petroineos have said that the refinery is unprofitable and I'd seriously challenge that. If the refinery is worth north of £400 million per annum to the Scottish economy, then that says to me that government investment is certainly viable.”
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