Meeting of the Parliament 18 February 2026 [Draft]
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 Scottish Government.
The early closure of the plant at Mossmorran will have a profound impact on the people of Fife and beyond. It has been a cornerstone of Scotland’s industrial landscape for 40 years. It ceased production on 2 February, and it leaves 180 ExxonMobil employees and nearly 250 contractors facing an uncertain future. The issue is not only jobs; it is about families, livelihoods and entire communities that are built around the site. As members have mentioned, we have been here before.
Mossmorran has produced over 25 million tonnes of ethylene and has contributed significantly to Scotland’s economy, but ExxonMobil’s claims of £1 million weekly losses, high supply costs and a challenging market mean that the plant will be decommissioned by early 2028. However, we cannot ignore the broader context. ExxonMobil is a multibillion-pound-corporation that posted £25 billion in profits last year—its third best performance on record—and I am encouraged by the discussions that the Deputy First Minister is having with the company about the plant’s future.
ExxonMobil’s decision reflects not only market pressures but a UK policy environment that has accelerated the exit of vital industries. As the company stated, the closure highlights challenges in a policy framework that undermines domestic manufacturing and high-value jobs. Where is the UK Government’s response? It has been silent and has failed to step up when Scottish workers need it most. That is why a just transition is not optional but essential. Scotland is committed to reaching net zero by 2045, and we must ensure that no one is left behind as we shift to a green economy.
The Scottish Government has already acted decisively—I am encouraged by what the DFM said about the Government bringing forward some of the £9 million that it is to allocate over the next couple of years. That includes funding for PACE and the task force to aid redundant workers, and the Government continues to invest in the just transition fund. I will touch on that a little bit later, but it is only part of the picture.
Going back to the Scottish Government’s amendment, the UK Government must match the Scottish Government’s commitment. I heard what Daniel Johnson said, but the UK Government needs to back up its words with finance in order to provide the comprehensive support that is required. Anything less is a dereliction of duty to Scottish workers.
Let me be clear: targeted funding means developing retraining programmes that are tailored to the skills of those highly qualified engineers and technicians and redirecting them towards renewables such as offshore wind and hydrogen production. It means investing—that is the key word—in local communities in order to diversify the economy and prevent the decline that we have seen in other industrial heartlands. Unions including Unite have rightly condemned ExxonMobil’s betrayal and the UK Government’s inaction.
The early closure has heightened the urgency. Communities are reeling and will continue to reel. Delays in funding will only exacerbate the pain, so I urge the UK Government to heed the Deputy First Minister’s call and commit to providing matching funds immediately. As I said, I commend the actions that the DFM outlined today.
Keir Starmer promised that Scotland would be at the heart of the Labour Government, but he has done little to support our key industries. People in Scotland will be quite right to ask why the workforces in Mossmorran and Grangemouth did not see the same intervention from the UK Government as it made in Scunthorpe. Labour’s tax on Scotland’s energy is wrecking jobs, undermining energy security and jeopardising our transition to a clean energy future.