Brian Leishman, who represents Alloa and Grangemouth, said that Labour leadership’s pledges of investment in the future of the site had not happened.
Petroineos, which was established as a joint venture between PetroChina and Ineos, last year confirmed plans to shut its Grangemouth oil refinery in the second quarter of 2025, with the loss of 400 jobs.
At PMQs, 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.
Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman challenged Keir Starmer on his General Election promises to Grangemouth at PMQs ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jXBxQdUgYO
— The National (@ScotNational) January 15, 2025
“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?”
Responding, Starmer said it was a “really important point”.
“Before July there was no plan at all to support the workers at Grangemouth,” he said.
“Within weeks, and importantly, we announced a £100 million deal for a 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.”
Project Willow is a joint initiative funded by the UK and Scottish Governments, focusing on the future of the Grangemouth refinery site. It includes a feasibility study to explore options for transitioning the site into a low-carbon fuels hub.
On Monday, Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe said chemical manufacturing in the UK is facing “extinction”, after the company last week closed the last remaining synthetic ethanol plant in the UK.
Ineos stressed all employees at the ethanol plant are to be redeployed across the chemicals business at Grangemouth, but added there would still be a net job loss of 80 roles, with more than 500 jobs impacted indirectly across the wider economy.
READ MORE: Grangemouth boss says ‘grown-up debate’ needed about future of oil refinery
Elsewhere at PMQs, Starmer insisted that the majority of goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland will “enjoy unfettered access to Great Britain indefinitely” as TUV leader Jim Allister accused him of trying to “further ostracise Northern Ireland from the Union”.
Allister told the Commons: “Given president Trump’s antipathy to the EU, how does the Prime Minister hope to attain a trade deal for the whole United Kingdom in circumstances where the trade laws affecting part of the United Kingdom, namely Northern Ireland, are the EU’s trade laws, and in circumstances where the laws governing goods and the standards of those that can be imported are EU laws.
“How in those circumstances, can a deal be obtained for the whole United Kingdom? Or is the Prime Minister only interested in a deal which would apply to GB and thereby further ostracise Northern Ireland from the Union?”
Starmer replied: “[Allister] knows that controls apply only to EU goods moving into Great Britain. The overwhelming majority of goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will continue to enjoy unfettered access to Great Britain indefinitely.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Image: PA) “[Allister] has made much of mutual enforcement. The reality is, this is mutual agreement. And I know he has got his proposal, but I think his proposal would lead, in the end, to a hard border, and that is something that has been rejected across this House on many, many occasions, and for good reason.”
The incoming Trump presidency was also raised by the LibDem leader Ed Davey – who argued that “wealthy, high-skilled Americans” seeking to move to the UK because of Trump’s second presidency have “no visa they can apply for”.
Davey told MPs: “An idea for the Chancellor to grow the economy as president-elect Trump prepares to take office next week, there are reports that a number of wealthy, high-skilled Americans are looking to come to the UK for fear of what president-elect Trump will do to their country.
READ MORE: Grangemouth oil refinery workers offered ‘lifeline’ by Scottish energy giant
“But because the Conservatives so broke the immigration system, many of them are finding there is no visa that they can apply for. Now, I know the Prime Minister is rightly seeking to reduce immigration from the record highs of the Conservatives, but does he agree if people like this want to come to our country to bring their money and their skills so we can grow our economy and pay for our public services, they should be able to?”
Starmer replied: “We welcome all investment into the United Kingdom, and I am very pleased to have record investment in the time that we have been in office.”
He added: “The last Government lost control of immigration as they lost control of health and the economy and the borders and everything else, and it was, of course, the leader of the opposition who was championing the driving up of the numbers. So we will bring those numbers down. We’ll get it back under control. We’ll encourage investment.”