RACHEL Reeves failed to raise Grangemouth oil refinery days before it was set to close in a meeting with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it has been revealed.
In a response to an FOI submitted by the SNP, UK Government officials admitted that the Chancellor met with the Grangemouth chief in the same month Scotland's only oil refinery stopped processing crude oil – but she did not raise the imminent closure.
The UK Government response stated: “We have identified that a meeting did take place in April 2025 at which the Chancellor and Sir Jim Ratcliffe were present. We can also confirm that the threatened closure of the Grangemouth refinery was not discussed at that meeting".
Owner Petroineos announced last year that the refinery would be turning into an import terminal, leaving Scotland without a refinery and posing one of the first major tests of both the UK and Scottish Governments in their push for a just transition away from oil and gas.
Repeated attempts to halt the closure ultimately failed, with the loss of around 100 jobs, though plans for future use of the site have been put in motion as both Governments seek external investment.
The Labour Government would later ensure the future of the Prax oil refinery in England in June.
Given they readily nationalised Scunthorpe Steel, the £100bn spent on English nuclear power plants and the saved refinery in Lincolnshire, the SNP have said this secret meeting “tells Scots all they need to know about Westminster and where Scotland lies in its priorities.”
Graham Leadbitter MP, SNP energy spokesperson, said: “This is a damning revelation.
"Scots will be disgusted to learn that just days before the Grangemouth doors slammed shut Rachel Reeves held a meeting with the owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe [below], yet didn’t even bother to mention the refinery in her meeting.
“The UK Government only conceded the information after significant pressure, which speaks volumes about how desperate they were to keep this under wraps.
"That’s because the truth is that, never mind being an afterthought, the fact the Labour Government didn’t even think it worthwhile to bring up such a critical issue to Scottish jobs shows Scotland doesn’t even register as a thought at all.
“A steel plant in Scunthorpe was nationalised, a refinery in Lincolnshire was bailed out and £100bn is found for English nuclear power plants, yet when it came to a Scottish refinery the UK Labour Government didn’t lift a finger to keep it in operation – that tells Scots all they need to know about Westminster and where Scotland lies in its priorities.
“It is this disregard for Scottish industry that leaves a growing number of Scots to wonder just how long we stay tied to this so-called Union of equals because only with independence can we prioritise Scottish jobs, Scottish growth and Scotland’s people.”
The SNP also accused the UK Government of trying "to evade giving details of the meeting," with the original request submitted in June.
"Your request to extend the deadline until 11th of September 2025 would exceed this by a substantial margin, reaching a potential maximum of 64 working days from the date the initial request was received," the SNP Westminster team stated.
They added: "Please be advised that I will now be raising this with the Information Commissioner".
