Manchester United owner blasted for spending millions on the club without a tangible result while his oil workers face redundancy
Alex Salmond branded the decision to end oil refining at Grangemouth a “national disgrace” while unions reacted with anger at the scale of job losses.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe smiling
Jim Ratcliffe bought a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United weeks after the Grangemouth closure was first announced
Billionaire tycoon Jim Ratcliffe has been blasted for spending millions on Manchester United while hundreds of workers at Scotland’s last remaining oil refinery face redundancy.
A century of refining will come to an end at Grangemouth in spring 2025 after owners Petroineos confirmed yesterday the site would be converted to become a fuels import and export depot.
The energy giant – a joint venture between the Chinese government and Ineos – blamed falling demand for its products and rising costs for the decision to pull the plug.
More than 400 jobs will be lost at Grangemouth over the next two years as the refinery winds down and work begins to convert the site.
Ineos – an industrial conglomerate controlled by Ratcliffe – will continue to operate the separate petrochemical plant at the gigantic industrial site on the banks of the Forth.
The English businessman founded the company in 1998 and took control of the Grangemouth refinery in 2005.
Ratcliffe bought a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United in December last year – just weeks after Petroineos first announced its intention to end refining in Scotland.
Unions and environmental campaigners last night blasted both the UK and Scottish Governments for not doing to protect the long-term future of Grangemouth.
Unite, which has campaigned against the site’s closure, said the future of the refinery should not have been left “to the whim and avarice of shareholders”.
Derek Thomson, the union’s Scottish secretary, said: “The complex is critical to the nation’s manufacturing base and energy security.
“The governments involved cannot simply hide behind the convenient smokescreen that this is a commercial decision which they couldn’t influence.”
Rosie Hampton, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The approach of Scottish ministers has been entirely reliant on big business to dictate the terms and the pace of energy transition and everyone can see that it is failing both the climate and the workers and communities currently reliant on the fossil fuel industry.
“Ineos have millions to spend on transfers at Manchester United but apparently nothing to spend on transitions for workers at Grangemouth.”
John Swinney admitted the closure of Scotland’s only oil refinery would create a “significant economic shock”.
He was speaking after the Scottish and UK Governments announced a joint £100m investment in the Falkirk and Grangemouth area.
The First Minister said the cash will “provide assistance for the locality to recover from this significant economic shock”.
The two governments are also promising support for workers who face losing their jobs, while Project Willow – which was previously set up by the two administrations to look at future prospects for the site – is said to have identified three credible options.
Oil refining at Grangemouth will end in 2025 after a century of operation
Oil refining at Grangemouth will end in 2025 after a century of operation
This could mean Grangemouth transitions to focus on either low-carbon hydrogen, clean eFuels, or sustainable aviation fuels.
“We will put in all effort that we can to support the workforce at this very, very difficult and worrying time,” Swinney added.
Alex Salmond branded the closure a “national disgrace”.
The former first minister said: “When it comes to saving Grangemouth, both the Scottish and UK Government’s have failed to intervene to secure an industrial future and have instead offered the workforce nothing other than meek words.
“It will be disastrous for Scotland if allow ourselves to lose the capacity to refine our own production.
“It will be a national disgrace if we allow Scotland’s natural resources and their jobs to be exported to be refined elsewhere and instead imported through a skeleton staffed Grangemouth.”
A source close to Petroineos last night denied the firm had received any bids to purchase the Grangemouth refinery.
They told the Record: “It’s nearly a year since Petroineos first signalled its intention to stop refining at Grangemouth so there’s been plenty of time for credible potential buyers to express an interest but nobody has.
“Considering the scale of the financial losses being endured here – and the regulatory hurdles any potential buyer would need to navigate – that’s not hugely surprising.
“Our shareholders are working closely with governments north and south of the border to deliver an orderly transition for workers. Rumours and speculation that give false hope are not helpful.”
According to Caughtoffside, Manchester United are showing interest in Dinamo Zagreb’s Martin Baturina and recently had scouts observe the attacker, according to reports.
Despite a hectic transfer window with five new signings, including Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee, Manchester United have had a challenging start to the season. Erik ten Hag, who survived an end-of-season review, is under significant pressure after losing two of their first three league matches, including a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford before the international break.
Although the summer transfer window has closed, clubs are already planning for future windows. Croatian outlet Germanijak reports that Manchester United have identified Baturina as a key target and have had scouts monitoring the 21-year-old during Croatia’s Nations League games against Portugal and Poland.
The report also notes that Baturina was close to joining Fiorentina but chose to stay with Dinamo Zagreb, where he will participate in Champions League football.
Reports indicate that Leeds had a £25 million offer for the forward accepted, but Baturina chose to reject the move.
It remains to be seen if Manchester United will make a bid for the young talent. According to the report, Dinamo Zagreb is ready to offer Baturina a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid players in the squad.
Having progressed through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, Baturina has made 126 appearances for the first team since 2021, scoring 16 goals and providing 32 assists.
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