EXCLUSIVE: Euan Stainbank said procurement rules needed reform to ensure UK manufacturers were given priority when it came to investing in public transport.
Holyrood and Westminster must “buy British” if 400 Scottish jobs are to be saved at an historic bus manufacturer, an MP has said.
Euan Stainbank said strict procurement rules should be reformed to ensure UK manufacturers are given priority when it comes to investing in the public transport of the future.
The Labour MP for Falkirk is campaigning to save jobs in his constituency at two closure-threatened Alexander Dennis (ADL) factories.
Bosses at the firm launched a consultation last month on plans to shutter the plants at Camelon and Larbert and centralise production in Scarborough.
The move would end a century of bus building in the Falkirk district and comes just weeks after the oil refinery at nearby Grangemouth was shut down, with 400 jobs lost.
Stainbank told the Record: “There’s global momentum to decarbonise transport. The UK must lead — not fall behind. A greener bus network should mean jobs and prosperity. But only if we have the right strategy.
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“In 2020, Boris Johnson promised to deliver 4,000 zero-emission buses, built in Britain. By 2024, only about 2,270 had been delivered through the ZEBRA scheme, with nearly half made abroad — despite £312 million in taxpayer funding.
“Scotland has seen worse. In the most recent ScotZEB2 scheme, over 80 per cent of buses were ordered from overseas. Just 44 of 252 orders went to Scottish producers. That’s simply unacceptable — 400 skilled jobs in Falkirk are at stake.
“We cannot justify using UK public money to support foreign competitors while British factories struggle. A global economy doesn’t mean outsourcing opportunity. It means competing with confidence — and with a plan.
“Manchester has shown what leadership looks like. Under Mayor Andy Burnham, the Bee Network brought buses back under public control and procured the fleet domestically, including from Falkirk.”
The Falkirk MP added: “Ministers have shown they’re willing to intervene, from supporting British steel in Scunthorpe to committing £200 million to Grangemouth. Now they must act to safeguard UK bus manufacturing.
“For the 400 workers at Alexander Dennis, this isn’t an abstract policy debate — it’s their future. These are the people who have helped build the UK’s low-carbon transport network.
“They deserve more than warm words. We have the skills. We have the capacity. We have the need. Now we need the political will to back British buses — for British passengers, with British workers.”
Shona Robison, the SNP Finance Secretary, welcomed the announcement last week that ADL had extended its consultation on potential job losses – allowing more time to find an alternative.
She said: “The company has been clear there are a number of factors that impact on its decision about the future of its workforce in Scotland – the availability of orders both in the short and long term, changes to the regulatory landscape around procurement, and assistance in supporting a short-term company furlough scheme.
“The Scottish Government is continuing to work tirelessly on this issue, and is maintaining close contact with the company, the unions and the UK Government to understand all options to support the workforce.”
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