Hundreds of protected areas are under pressure from Scotland’s massive deer herd. Most agree deer numbers must be controlled to protect the environment, but are split on what should be done.
Edinburgh University students were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to complain.
Unsafe levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but officials insist water quality remains high.
It took John Swinney two and a half months to secure a key meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the future for workers at Grangemouth – and the billionaire only spared half an hour of his time on a video call.
The first minister wrote to the Ineos chair and chief executive on 6 February asking to meet him at a “very early opportunity” to discuss “a way forward that protects employment at Grangemouth”.
But despite an offer from Swinney to travel to meet Ratcliffe in person, the Scottish Government could only secure a 30-minute meeting on Microsoft Teams with him on 25 April.
That was 78 days after Swinney contacted Ratcliffe – who ranked at number seven on the Sunday Times rich list and is reportedly worth over £17bn – and just four days before it was announced the century-old refinery at Grangemouth had processed its last oil.
The Ferret has also obtained internal Scottish Government documents which say ministers only found out about the end of refining at Grangemouth from media reports. Around four hundred people employed at the site are losing their jobs.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) questioned how the Scottish Government could deliver a fair energy transition for workers when it “can’t get a meeting in the diary” with key business leaders.
One MSP claimed Ratcliffe seemed happy to be a “pantomime villain” but added that it does not “seem like either a just transition or the wider future of Scotland’s economy” is at the top of Swinney’s “in-tray”.
It is no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has so little respect for the workers and communities impacted by the closure of his refinery at Grangemouth that he won’t spare more than a few minutes of his time to discuss it with the first minister.
Catrina Randall, Friends of the Earth Scotland
An Ineos spokesperson said the company’s track record “speaks louder than any headline” and it was “no secret that the diaries of senior political and business leaders are extremely demanding”. They accused The Ferret of trying to “manufacture a controversy out of nothing”.
The Scottish Government said it was committed to securing a “sustainable future” for Grangemouth and had committed £87m to protecting jobs at the site.
The findings come from correspondence released to The Ferret following a freedom of information (FOI) request.
In his letter to Ratcliffe on 6 February Swinney said he was “willing to travel” for a meeting and do so “at the earliest opportunity”.
The Ferret requested Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s response to this letter but was told by the Scottish Government that it did not hold a reply from Ineos to Swinney. We also asked for all correspondence between Ineos and the Scottish Government on the back of the letter.
Documents released show the first minister again wrote to the Manchester United co-owner on 21 February outlining Scottish Government financial backing for new proposals at Grangemouth. Swinney wrote he was “committed to working” with Ineos and urged the company to “live up” to its “responsibilities as a responsible business”.
Subsequent emails, which are partially redacted, show Scottish Government officials and an Ineos representative – whose email sign off says they are based in Monte Carlo, where Ratcliffe reportedly owns a home – trying to find a date for a meeting over the course of a number of weeks in late March and early April.
These included ‘chaser’ emails sent by the Scottish Government to Ineos after they had not received a response. In one email, the Scottish Government notes that a meeting at the beginning of March had “unfortunately” not gone ahead.
Most of the details of the meeting that eventually took place on 25 April are redacted, but partial minutes do show Ineos arguing the refinery was “aged and loss making” and Ratcliffe expressing “concern about carbon taxes and energy costs”.
The Grangemouth refinery is owned by Petroineos, a joint venture between Ratcliffe’s firm and PetroChina, which is owned by the Chinese government.
It was announced in November 2023 that the refinery would close and be transformed into a terminal for the import of finished fuels. About 70 staff from the refinery will continue working at the import terminal.
On 29 April this year, Ineos confirmed that the refinery had processed its last oil after over 100 years of operations.
The Ferret submitted a separate FOI request asking for details of the Scottish Government’s planned response to media inquiries about the closure of the refinery.
One internal document released through this request notes that Scottish ministers were made aware of the end to refining operations on 29 April “via the media”. The Scottish Government declined to comment on this point.
Ineos employs 1,300 staff at other industrial facilities which are part of the Grangemouth complex and remain operational.
The Scottish Government has pledged financial support to find a way forward for the refinery site.
The Scottish and UK Governments paid £1.5m for a “feasibility study”, commissioned by Petroineos, called Project Willow which was carried out by the consultancy firm Ernst and Young and looked at a potential future for the site.
The findings of that study were published in March, with Project Willow suggesting nine ‘credible’ alternatives for the refinery. However these would still need billions in private sector investment to get off the ground.
Business development agency Scottish Enterprise said this week that it had received 84 inquiries about projects for Grangemouth, including some which have a “good opportunity” to become projects in “the next three to four years”.
The Scottish Government has pledged £25m to support “investible propositions” at the site, while the UK Government has promised £200m.
The sad reality is that these workers are more likely to find new jobs overseas than in their own communities.
Roz Foyer, STUC
But according to Catrina Randall, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, this is the wrong approach and the Scottish Government should “learn its lesson in giving support to greedy multinationals like Ineos who in turn treat it and the people it represents with little more than contempt”.
“It is no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has so little respect for the workers and communities impacted by the closure of his refinery at Grangemouth that he won’t spare more than a few minutes of his time to discuss it with the first minister,” Randall claimed.
The general secretary of the STUC, Roz Foyer, said refinery workers had been “badly let down” and it was time for the Scottish Government to “take control in the energy sector with a proper plan for jobs instead of leaving it to the whims of billionaires”.
Foyer added: “The Scottish and UK governments have been promising to protect workers and create new jobs in green industries, but if our political leaders can’t get a meeting in the diary, it’s hard to see how they will deliver a fair transition for workers across the oil and gas sector.
“The sad reality is that these workers are more likely to find new jobs overseas than in their own communities.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said Ratcliffe “seems happy to paint himself as something of a pantomime villain”. But he said the “onus is on the first minister’s office to keep the pressure on and lock down key meetings like this”. Greene added: “Despite John Swinney’s warm words it doesn’t seem like either a just transition or the wider future of Scotland’s economy is at the top of his in-tray”.
An Ineos spokesperson said: “Ineos has invested billions of pounds into Grangemouth and the Forties Pipeline System over the past decade, securing critical infrastructure, high quality jobs, and energy security for both Scotland and the UK.
“Our track record speaks louder than any headline. It is no secret that the diaries of senior political and business leaders are extremely demanding. To twist that into a narrative of disrespect is disingenuous and dishonest.
“The Ferret knows this and is deliberately trying to manufacture a controversy out of nothing, as usual. We remain focused on the real priority, which is working with the first minister and his government to secure the long-term future of Ineos in Scotland.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is committed to working with all stakeholders – including business, the workforce and the community – as we seek to secure a long term and sustainable future for the Grangemouth industrial cluster.
“Ministers have made clear their determination to secure a sustainable future for the refinery site and the wider industrial cluster and have so far committed around £87m to do so, including the £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund and up to £450,000 to support affected workers to make the transition into new roles.”
Main image: John Swinney. Credit: Scottish Government. Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Credit: The CBI
Hundreds of protected areas are under pressure from Scotland’s massive deer herd. Most agree deer numbers must be controlled to protect the environment, but are split on what should be done.
Edinburgh University students were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to complain.
Unsafe levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but officials insist water quality remains high.
Footage of farmed trout suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons in a slaughterhouse has prompted an official complaint to a government regulator.
