Boris Johnson has offered his support to try and save jobs at the historic McVities biscuit factory in Glasgow.
Glasgo East MP David Linden raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday asking Johnson to step in to prevent “economic armageddon on a very fargile part of the local economy.”
Turkey-owned and UK-based Pladis, the UK-based firm encompassing United Biscuits, said the proposal to close the site in Tollcross in the east end of the city would put 468 roles at risk of redundancy
The Prime Minister acknowledged that generations of families have worked at the Glasgow biscuit works which first opened in 1925 on the site.
Johnson replied: “McVites have been a proud part of the Scottish economy since 1800 and I know that people at the Tollcross factory and their relatives will be very concerned about what’s happening, I thank you for raising it.”
“I know the conversations are now going on to see what we can do with the Turkish company that now owns McVities, and I know my friend the Secretary of state for Scotland is meeting the Honourable member to discuss the situation.”
SNP MP Linden said afterwards: “When we said that we’d leave no stone unturned to try and save this factory, we genuinely meant it and that includes working cross party to save Tollcross.
“Engaging the Prime Minister as we try to get Pladis to think again is going to be really crucial in terms of escalating this to executives in Turkey.”
The MP added: “Closing Tollcross would be utterly devastating for our local economy and I cannot overstate just how important it is that Pladis seriously engage with the task force and truly understand the economic armageddon that would be unleashed by abandoning our community.
"Ultimately they need to abandon these plans and enlisting the Prime Minister today will help bolster that case.”
