Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 18 February 2026 [Draft]
18 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Mossmorran (Just Transition Fund)
We are fighting over the crumbs that come from such events, when we should be looking at a much longer-term plan.
I hear Richard Leonard saying “Hear, hear,” in the background. It automatically makes me nervous when he agrees with me, but he is right, because we need a plan for the longer term, and that means a proper partnership between the UK and Scottish Governments, which I think has been demonstrated today.
I have attended working groups and meetings on the plan for Mossmorran. The fact that those are now led by Fife Council is a good thing, as it is rooted in the community. Fife College, with its new campus in Dunfermline, is also fully engaged in the process. Those are good things, and that is what we should build on, rather than making knee-jerk reactions to individual events when it is far too late.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20820, in the name of Mark Ruskell, on a joint transition fund for Mossmorran. I invite members who wish ...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
ExxonMobil’s Fife ethylene plant closed on 2 February. Some of the skilled workforce have already left Scotland; others, with the support of their unions and...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
What does Mark Ruskell think changed between his discussions in 2022 and the subsequent decision? What he has encountered from ExxonMobil is a genuinely curi...
Mark Ruskell
Green
What was needed was to bring the stakeholders and operators together to look at the future. The report that I issued in 2022 laid out four clear options for ...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes)
SNP
ExxonMobil’s earlier than expected closure of the Fife ethylene plant remains a matter of deep disappointment. My thoughts remain with the workers who are di...
Mark Ruskell
Green
I thank the Deputy First Minister for making that announcement. That will be welcomed by the workers. Has there been any conversation with Chris McDonald and...
Kate Forbes
SNP
There are two forums where those conversations happen. The task force is meeting again in the next weeks, and Richard Lochhead attended the last one, with Ch...
Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to open the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. It is a welcome opportunity to highlight the on-going crisis at Mossmorran, which wi...
Mark Ruskell
Green
The member points to my record of calling for a just transition plan for Mossmorran for years. Can he point to a single thing that he, or any of his three ot...
Alexander Stewart
Con
I can assure the member that, in the 10 years that I have been in this job in this building, I have attended many events at Mossmorran—
Mark Ruskell
Green
You got your picture taken for your newsletter.
Alexander Stewart
Con
I was there, supporting the community. You are well aware of that, Mr Ruskell, because I was there many times, at many of those meetings—
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Always through the chair.
Alexander Stewart
Con
As it stands, this is not a just transition—it is a cliff edge. What we have heard from the Greens this afternoon is predictable. Last year’s announcement th...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I will come to Alexander Stewart’s scripted put-downs and confected ire in a moment, but first I congratulate Mark Ruskell on bringing this important debate ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I live locally and see the Mossmorran flare lighting up the sky regularly. I hear from local people how important the site is and how it provides—this is qui...
Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Hear, hear.
Willie Rennie
LD
We are fighting over the crumbs that come from such events, when we should be looking at a much longer-term plan.I hear Richard Leonard saying “Hear, hear,” ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We move to the open debate, with back-bench speeches of up to four minutes.16:27
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
What is happening at Mossmorran is not an isolated industrial event; it is a test of whether Scotland is serious about delivering a just transition. I say th...
Paul McLennan (East Lothian) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the Green Party for lodging the motion. The SNP amendment states that the UK Government “must match” the funding that has been provided by the Scotti...
Lorna Slater (Lothian) (Green)
Green
Will Paul McLennan take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Mr McLennan is about to conclude.
Paul McLennan
SNP
I have only four minutes.UK energy policy has resulted in higher costs and fewer jobs. The Scottish Government’s energy strategy must have a just transition ...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
It will be regrettable if this debate becomes a proxy argument about oil and gas policies, about the efficacy of the action that is taken to tackle climate c...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
I put it on the record that I was formerly employed at Mossmorran, although that was many years ago.The closure of the Mossmorran ethylene plant marks a prof...
Claire Baker
Lab
Does Mr Torrance recognise that ExxonMobil is closing other plants across the globe? It is not just in Scotland. ExxonMobil took the decision to close the si...
David Torrance
SNP
The member will find that ExxonMobil’s press statement blamed the UK Government for some of the uncertainty and for the plant’s closure.The Scottish Governme...
Daniel Johnson
Lab
Will the member give way?
David Torrance
SNP
No, thank you.The failure to match Scotland’s investment sends a troubled message about the priorities of UK-level energy policy and the UK’s willingness to ...