Brian Leishman: Anas Sarwar has ‘been very quiet’ on saving Grangemouth jobs

Anas Sarwar has “been very quiet” on his promise that Labour would save the 400 jobs set to be lost when Grangemouth oil refinery ceases operations this summer, Brian Leishman has said.  

The Scottish Labour leader said during the general election campaign that his party would “step in and save the jobs at the refinery and invest in that transition”. 

However, last month when asked why Labour had not saved the jobs, Sarwar said his party had been unable to because “it’s a privately owned company that has made this decision”.  

In an exclusive interview with Holyrood, Leishman, who has been critical of the UK Government’s handling of the closure since he was elected to parliament in July, said: “He’s [Sarwar] been very quiet on the issue.   

“I’ve been down here and for eight months I have been trying to push it to the top of the agenda. I have managed to move the party a bit on it. But do I think we’ve done enough? No.” 

The MP for Alloa and Grangemouth said he has “some sympathy” for UK ministers having inherited the issue he says “the Tories turned their back on” and the “SNP knew about for three years”, but added, “it’s on our desk now, and we were hesitant”.  

Asked if he feels alone in his fight to save the complex, he said he doesn’t want to speak about his colleagues and that they have “their own constituencies, campaigns and fights”. 

He told Holyrood: “What I would say is our movement is built on international solidarity, and I would try to help anyone out. My colleagues at Holyrood have been very good, for example, Richard Leonard and Monica Lennon have been fantastic in taking the fight into the Scottish Parliament.” 

Leishman suggested that the UK Government should be using plans to redevelop Old Trafford – the Manchester United football ground also owner by Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe – as a bargaining chip.

He said: “When we look at the regeneration needed around Old Trafford, why would we not say you can have that money, but you need to keep Grangemouth open? That’s just negotiation in my opinion.

“I have asked those questions of why we haven’t done this, and the answers have been underwhelming.”

On the UK Government’s announced welfare reforms, which it hopes will save £5bn by 2030, Leishman described them as a “a ridiculous notion”. 

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the government would tighten the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments from November 2026, potentially resulting in reduced payments for many. She will also freeze incapacity benefits under Universal Credit in cash terms for existing claimants from April next year, while payments for new claimants to be reduced. 

Leishman said: “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these cuts are going to impoverish already vulnerable, disadvantaged people living in our society today. These are the people that we should be throwing our arms around and helping.  

“It’s a measurement of any society how the government treats those who are in need, and by cutting that much from the welfare budget there is no doubt in my mind that we cannot claim there is no austerity under Labour if we are going to cut that much money from welfare.  

“It’s a ridiculous notion to think that we can incentivise people who cannot work into work. It shows a basic lack of humanity and it’s wrong. There are so many people that unfortunately cannot work, they need to be looked after.”   

He described some of the decisions made by the Labour government as “upsetting” from the “point of view that I don’t want the party to be like that”.   

“I want the Labour Party to stand up to its values of social justice, fairness and equality, and making things better the many in society. So, it’s been upsetting but it’s the right thing to do [to speak against it].”