A TORY candidate is a confirmed no-show for a hustings event organised by a trade union and the workers of an oil refinery in a pivotal constituency for the General Election.
For any independence supporter, the Alloa and Grangemouth constituency is possibly one of the most important seats which will be contested in the vote on July 4.
It’s a new constituency created off the back of the Boundary Commission change which saw the Ochil and South Perthshire constituency split between Alloa and Grangemouth and Perth and Kinross-shire.
The oil refinery’s future has been a big topic – and not just locally in Grangemouth. It was hotly discussed amongst the Scottish party leaders on the STV debate night last week.
A hustings in the constituency is being hosted by Keep Grangemouth Working, a campaign supported by Unite the Union, on Tuesday, June 11.
It will focus heavily on the plant's future as well as its workforce.
Most of the candidates standing in the constituency have been confirmed to attend and The National will be along to report on the evening's proceedings.
However, the Tory candidate for the area, Rachel Nunn, has been confirmed to not attend the event and will instead send a representative, James Bundy.
The LibDems' Adrian May and Reform’s Richard Fairley will also not be in attendance – and will not have any representatives stand in their place, the hustings organisers have confirmed.
The SNP's John Nicolson, who was the MP of the old Ochil and South Perthshire constituency, will be there.
Labour’s Brian Leishman, previously a councillor in Perth, and former justice secretary and Alba candidate Kenny MacAskill will also attend.
The other three candidates, Scottish Green Nariese Whyte, the Workers Party of Britain's Tom Flanagan, and independent Eva Comrie, will also take part.
Roz Foyer, who is the general secretary for Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC), will chair the event.
Candidates will field questions from the public around issues concerning the plant, like investment opportunities and the transition to hydrogen.
Derek Thomson, Unite’s Scottish secretary, said the oil refinery is “absolutely pivotal” to Scotland’s energy infrastructure and they aim to make Grangemouth a focus of every party's election campaign.
He said: “The Grangemouth oil refinery is one of Scotland’s most important worksites.
“It directly employs 500 workers and thousands more in the supply chain.
“The complex is absolutely pivotal to Scotland’s energy security and our manufacturing base.
“Unite’s Keep Grangemouth Working campaign is focused on ensuring the refinery’s future takes centre stage in this General Election because what happens is vital not only for the workforce but the nation.”
The hustings start at 7:30pm at Bowhouse Community Centre in Grangemouth.
