Scottish Labour MP says Anas Sarwar has been 'quiet' on Grangemouth

Brian Leishman criticised his own Government, the SNP and the previous Tory administration for “turning their back” on refinery workers as he urged Labour to do more.

Around 400 staff at the plant near Falkirk were issued redundancy notices by Petroineos last week.

Mr Leishman, the Alloa and Grangemouth MP, said he “didn’t know” what had happened to a pledge made by Mr Sarwar during the election campaign that a Labour government would “put hundreds of millions of pounds” into a scheme to “save those jobs and protect the future” of Grangemouth.

Appearing on BBC’s The Sunday Show, Mr Leishman said: “Anas has been very quiet on the issue and I would say the wider Scottish Labour party need to do a lot more as well.

“That comes right up to the Prime Minister. He’s got to do an awful lot more. My community does not deserve to be abandoned on this issue. This is the biggest industrial issue to face Scotland in 40 years. More must be done.”

Challenged on opposition accusations that Mr Sarwar lied to voters during the election campaign, Mr Leishman insisted: “I’m not going to say that Anas is a liar. I don’t know what conversations Anas has had with Keir Starmer.

“I haven’t had sight of a plan, but if Anas Sarwar said it on the leadership debate, then I listen to my leader and all the mood music that I heard during the campaign was that we were going to step in, we were going to save jobs at the refinery.

“And now, it’s one thing being in opposition and making promises - now that we’re actually in government we should follow through and make good on them.

“Did Keir Starmer as he said, it was his number one priority, did he make assurances? That’s something that I want to find out.”

Mr Leishman’s comments come after UK energy secretary Ed Miliband this week suggested he would consider fast-tracking the Acorn carbon capture and storage project earmarked for Aberdeenshire, claiming the move could help secure a future for Grangemouth workers.

Petroineos is a joint venture between Ineos and state-owned Chinese firm PetroChina, which want to convert Grangemouth into an import terminal. Only 65 staff are expected to be retained from the 500-strong workforce. The refinery is expected to shut its doors as early as May.

Asked what he had done on the issue, Mr Leishman said he had taken concerns to everyone he could.

He said: “I have taken this right to the Prime Minister. This week I wrote to him requesting a cross-governmental meeting, including myself as the constituency MP. Unite the trade union are involved and also refinery owners as well. I’ve had a Prime Minister’s question, I’ve had repeated questions to the Chancellor, to the Secretary of State for Scotland, to the Secretary of State for business and also for energy and net zero.

"I think it’s fair to say that the answers have been incredibly underwhelming and not good enough. We are not just talking about my constituency and my community, but all of Scotland. This is a Scotland issue, and if Scottish Labour MPs are to be at the heart of Scotland, you have to put Scotland first."

He also refused to pin the blame solely on the new government. Asked where the blame lay, Mr Leishman pointed to a “multitude of actors”. He said: “It’s not a problem that Labour created, we inherited this from a failed Conservative government that turned their back on the refinery worker.

“But also the SNP inaction in Holyrood, so there’s a lot of people who have to carry the can on this. But in government now, we should be doing an awful lot more.”

Michelle Thomson, the SNP MSP for Falkirk East, said: "Brian Leishman is correct to highlight Anas Sarwar's lack of action. He promised during the election campaign to save Grangemouth, but has failed to live up to his commitments with devastating consequences for hundreds of skilled workers and the wider community.

“It has been Westminster which has not done anything about carbon capture storage. It has been Westminster which has put in place eight test sites for sustainable aviation fuel – none of which are in Scotland. The UK government has done absolutely nothing for Grangemouth, they have been asleep at the wheel.

"My priority remains to support all of those affected by the closure, but the UK government must deliver on its promises and bring forward real investment to save Grangemouth, and the jobs and business which depend on it as a matter of urgency."

After redundancy letters were issued, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero insisted the UK government was "leaving no stone unturned" to find a viable "long-term future" for Grangemouth.

The Scottish and UK governments have also jointly funded Project Willow, with £1.5 million in investment to consider a sustainable future for the site.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “The decision by Petroineos to decommission this site is a deeply disappointing one. Since the election, Labour has been working to support the Grangemouth workforce and attract investment and jobs into the area.

“In just four months, the UK Labour government put together an unprecedented £100m package to support the community and invest in the local workforce, including investment in skills, local energy projects, and wider growth initiatives.

“As well as continuing work on industrial futures for the site, the government is also providing tailored support to ensure workers can secure good, alternative jobs.”