Opinion: Brian Leishman MP on the need to invest in green industries in Grangemouth

In this my first column as the MP for Alloa & Grangemouth, I’d like to talk about the potential closure of the Grangemouth refinery as it is the biggest industrial issue to happen in Scotland for decades, and what happens next will define how workers and their communities are valued, as well as how serious we are about climate change.

Workers appreciate that we need to move away from the reliance on fossil fuels that have been the norm for so long, but that shouldn’t be at the detriment of community prosperity.

Our constituency is all too familiar with industry leaving the area and when industry leaves, so does opportunity and wealth.

In the adversity that the Grangemouth community currently faces, we have the opportunity of investing in the new cleaner greener industries that would re-industrialise Grangemouth.

Sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen, solar, onshore wind, carbon capture – nothing should be off the table as we look to build an industrial site at Grangemouth that would provide highly skilled and well paid jobs.

The refinery workers have ran a fantastic campaign highlighting the need for extending the life of the refinery, it’s been an honour to stand in solidarity with them at the Scottish Trade Union Congress, on marches and to speak at rallies.

It was terrific to see such a great turnout last Saturday on the march from Grangemouth Stadium to Zetland Park and to speak about the need for the refinery lifespan to be extended, the workforce invested in and then we will have a just transition worthy of the name.

Saturday was not just a march for jobs, it was also a platform to show solidarity with a town that wants to be part of a green industrial future.

A future we all need and I will continue to be the voice for this in Westminster.

Brian Leishman is the newly elected MP for Alloa & Grangemouth