THE future of the UK North Sea has been central to Labour’s first days in government as Sir Keir Starmer pledges to save jobs at Grangemouth.
In one of his first major announcement’s as Prime Minister, Mr Starmer said it was his “duty to preserve jobs” at the oil refinery, which employs around 1,300 people.
The Labour leader has also met with First Minister John Swinney ahead of a relationship he sees as “an opportunity for collaborative working that can make a difference to people’s lives”.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have also spoken to their Scottish counterparts, Gillian Martin and Neil Gray, respectively.
During a visit to Bute House, Mr Starmer reinforced his hope for a more positive working relationship between Westminster and Holyrood.
But top of his priority list was the future of Grangemouth, which is expected to close early next year.
Speaking to journalists in Edinburgh, the new Prime Minister said: “We will start work more immediately 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 secure [the site’s] future.
He added: “I won’t go into the detail but obviously you will understand I’m very concerned about the situation in Grangemouth.
“I’m now the Prime Minister. It’s my duty to do what I can to ensure that jobs are preserved, that the future is as good as I’m sure it can be.
“I won’t go into the details but it is a real priority for me.”
Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, said he has already had a “detailed conversation” with Mr Miliband about the facility, and that the Energy Secretary “really wants to move quickly” to save jobs.
Building bridges
After a meeting with Labour’s 37 MPs, as well as party activists, Mr Starmer sat down with Mr Swinney to establish a “foundation for a productive relationship”.
The SNP leader, who was only in his job for a matter of weeks before Rishi Sunak called the General Election, said he hopes collaborative working between governments will be on “renewed respect for the devolution settlement”.
An SNP source said the pair have a number of similarities, including lives outside of politics and “a deep sense of public service”, which could be the structure to a respectful relationship.
“These are politicians who are less partisan [than their predecessors] and if they are able to find common ground, which I would expect them to do, then there are wins to be had for both governments through delivering for people in Scotland,” the source said.
What next for GB Energy?
The question about the location of GB Energy will rumble on for the time being, with Grangemouth’s future seemingly the priority of the Labour government.
Mr Starmer, along with a number of Labour politicians, has repeatedly refused to confirm where the publicly owned energy firm will be stationed, other than confirming it will be in Scotland.
It’s led to calls from industry leaders to locate GB Energy in the North-east of Scotland.
Now, Andrew Bowie, the former UK energy minister and current MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, has penned a letter to Mr Miliband calling for a statement on GB Energy “in the first days follow the summer recess”.
He said: I am urging Ed Miliband to actually put this scheme – whatever it’s called – in the North-east of Scotland.
“Anything else will represent a betrayal by the Starmer government.”