Andy Burnham presses Scottish Government on bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis closure
Andy Burnham has questioned why the Scottish Government has not done more to save jobs at Scottish bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis.
Around 400 jobs are at risk at its facility in Falkirk after Alexander Dennis announced plans to move operations to Scarborough in North Yorkshire.
Following the announcement on Wednesday 11 June, Mr Burnham pointed to the purchase of 160 buses from the manufacturer for Greater Manchester's Bee Network, while the Scottish Government ordered 44.
The order from the Scottish Government was made as part of the second phase of the green bus initiative ScotZEB.
In the first phase, the Government funded the building of 137 buses, according to a press release from the bus firm at the time, meaning a total of 181 have been ordered since 2022.
Mr Burnham said: 'Our iconic Bee Network buses are a bit of Scotland right here in Greater Manchester.
'We have over 160 Alexander Dennis buses criss-crossing our city-region every day – connecting our communities to opportunity.
'If Greater Manchester can invest in world-class Scottish bus manufacturing, then why can't the SNP Scottish Government?
'Meeting the ADL (Alexander Dennis) staff in Falkirk who have helped us to make the Bee Network a reality is always a pleasure and my thoughts are with them at this difficult time.'
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the closure is a result of Holyrood ministers 'once again overlooking Scottish industry', as he pointed to the award of a contract to build ferries being given to a shipyardyard in Turkey.
'Alexander Dennis buses are already serving passengers successfully across Greater Manchester, yet SNP ministers appear unwilling to give their full backing to the company for the benefit of people here,' Mr Sarwar said.
'John Swinney promised this scheme (ScotZEB) would 'open up new economic opportunities', but he has failed to turn those words into action.
'If the First Minister is serious about boosting Scotland's economy and supporting workers, he should start by investing in Scottish workers.'
The Scottish Government has said it will do 'everything we can' to support jobs at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, the First Minister has said.
He added: 'That's us indicating that we're keen to do everything we can to find a way through the Subsidy Control Act provisions, so the Government can continue to operate within the law, which we must do, but also, we can support manufacturing in Scotland, which is my priority.'
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