Keir Starmer vows to protect jobs at Grangemouth as Prime Minister makes first Scotland visit since election win
dailyrecord.co.ukKeir Starmer has said it is his "duty" as Prime Minister to protect jobs at Grangemouth oil refinery as he promised "immediate" discussions over its future.The Labour leader said it was a "real priority" following proposals to end refining operations at the huge industrial complex on the Forth, which could result in hundreds of job lossesSpeaking on a visit to Edinburgh just hours after he formally took power, Starmer said his new Government would see "what steps we can now take" to protect the future of the complex.Ed Miliband, the new Secretary of State for Energy, held "detailed discussions" with Anas Sarwar over the future of Grangemouth during a phonecall on Sunday morning.Speaking with journalists about his priorities for Government, Starmer said: "We will also start, more immediately, with discussions about Grangemouth, which is obviously a source of great concern to me, in terms of what steps we can now take to preserve jobs and ensure the future."Pressed for more detail, he added: "You will understand I am very concerned about the situation at Grangemouth, I'm now the Prime Minister, it's my duty to do what I can to ensure jobs are preserved, and the future is good, as I'm sure it can be."I won't get into details, but it is a real priority for me to work on that".Refinery owners Petroineos announced in November last year the site would "soon be unable to compete effectively" with overseas rivals.The company - a joint venture between Ineos and the Chinese state-owned PetroChina - signalled refining could end as soon as April 2025, but a final closure date has not been confirmed.Petroineos also revealed plans to transition the site to become an oil import terminal.
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