Exclusive:Grangemouth: Scottish Labour MP says he is 'incredibly disappointed' in his own government

Brian Leishman, the new Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, says his party has “not done enough” to prevent job losses at the site’s oil refinery, which is set to close next year.

Petroineos is planning to close Scotland’s only remaining oil refinery in the spring and convert the site into a fuel import terminal, putting around 400 jobs at risk.

The closure would also make Scotland the only major oil producing nation in the world without its own oil refinery.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Leishman said: “I am incredibly disappointed - the party has not done enough.

“We can’t have a just transition where workers will lose their jobs.

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“Scotland will be short-changed on its energy and national security without an oil refinery.

“I feel both governments must do an awful lot more for Grangemouth, but ultimately the UK Government needs to do more to keep the refinery.”

Mr Leishman had previously called for the refinery to be nationalised, but this was ruled out by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, who said it would not make economic sense for taxpayers to support a loss-making business.

Last week, Mr Leishman joined campaigners from Unite the union in a demonstration in Edinburgh against the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery.

The campaigners travelled down the Royal Mile and then gathered outside the Scottish Parliament.

Unite have written to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband with their own plan for the site, which would see the oil refinery transitioned into a sustainable aviation fuel production site.

The trade union says this plan is in line with the UK Government’s net zero policies and would be up to 70 per cent cheaper than building such a facility from scratch.

Mr Leishman says he is supportive of Unite’s suggestions on the future of Grangemouth.

He said: “It is an entirely viable, credible plan which details two historic examples from the US and Sweden which shows the conversion is doable.

“I’ve spoken to industry experts who say it is madness to close the refinery.

“Unite is also calling for an immediate pause in the closure of the refinery and for an independent review to be carried out, which seems entirely sensible to me.

“The government says this should have been done years ago, and yes it should have - but we need some political will from the government.

“The UK Government has power here and should be exercising that - there is no better opportunity for a just transition here than to safeguard these jobs and Scotland’s energy and fuel security.”

Acting Scottish Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said the SNP government has “made clear our extreme disappointment” to Petroineos, and said it is focused on delivering immediate support for the workers who will lose their jobs.

She said: “With the UK Government we are providing funding to support Petroineos’ exploration of viable options for the future of the site via the Project Willow cross site study and look forward to exploring routes to supporting the future phases of low-carbon projects at Grangemouth via the UK Government's national wealth fund.

“Project Willow is building on earlier studies funded by the Scottish Government, with the refinery operators and is being accompanied by accelerated and focused work on inward investment into the area by Scottish Enterprise.”

UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks added: “Before July, there was no overall plan for the future of the Grangemouth refinery.

“Within weeks, we worked with the Scottish Government to put together an unprecedented £100 million package to support the community and invest in the local workforce, along with tailored support to help those affected find good, alternative jobs.

“We are also jointly funding Project Willow with £1.5m to develop options for a sustainable industrial future at the site.”