Government will supply fuel to Scotland as Grangemouth closure interrupts supply
Ed Davey, secretary of state for energy and climate change, has spoken on Ineos' closure of the Grangemouth petrochemical plant in Scotland, saying that the government "is saddened by this move".
Davey said that the plant has significance both for the local community and the Scottish economy. Davey urged the two parties to continue dialogue and said that the government wants the plant to stay open "if at all possible".
The government has a contingency plan to ensure that heating, road and aviation fuel are supplied to Scotland while supply is interrupted as a result of the closure.
Local MP Caroline Flint said that she fears that the closure of the petrochemical plant may be followed by the closure of the Grangemouth refinery.
Eric Joyce, MP for Falkirk, says that Ineos is a company that exists to profit maximise, and asks what people thought "was going to happen once the company’s offer was rejected following the stupidest of strikes for the most idiotic of reasons".