Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Brian Leishman and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 19th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We are rolling out 350 banking hubs across all communities. I will happily arrange for the hon. Lady to have a meeting with the Minister to discuss how that might affect her constituency.

[Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth) (Lab)]

Q10. First, let me welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of £200 million from the National Wealth Fund for the industrial future of Grangemouth. Today, I want to ask specifically about the workers facing redundancy. Given the assurances from the Prime Minister on 18 February and repeated by Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour Leader, as recently as 4 March, can the Prime Minister confirm that the guarantee given on 18 months’ paid protection will be honoured for all those workers losing their jobs due to the Grangemouth refinery closure, including the shared services workers, and will he say how the payment can be claimed by all those affected?

[The Prime Minister]

Petroineos has said that every employee made redundant will get 18 months’ full pay. The Project Willow report, which has come out today, describes how we can support a sustainable industrial future for Grangemouth, which is incredibly important, delivering jobs and economic growth. As my hon. Friend references, I have announced £200 million through the National Wealth Fund to secure the site’s long-term future, and that is backed by the £100 million Falkirk and Grangemouth growth deal and the training guarantee to support workers into good jobs. Those are all actions that we are taking on this very important issue.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Brian Leishman and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 15th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth) (Lab)]

Q8. 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 the refinery’s future. Six months later, that has not happened yet. If the refinery closes, 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 that power 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?

[The Prime Minister]

This is a really important point, because before July there was no plan at all to support the workers at Grangemouth. Within weeks, and importantly, we announced £100 million for a growth deal, and we are jointly funding Project Willow to find a viable long-term future. It is a really serious point, I take it very seriously and we will do everything we can to make sure that viable long-term future is there for the workers, their communities and all who rely on it.