Confusion and political sparring have erupted between the Scottish and UK governments over how best to respond to the looming closure of the Mossmorran chemical plant in Fife—a shutdown that threatens more than 400 jobs and has sent shockwaves through the local community and Scotland’s wider industrial landscape.
The trouble began in earnest on November 18, 2025, when ExxonMobil, the oil giant that owns the Mossmorran ethylene facility, announced there was no “competitive future” for the site. The company cited the need for nearly £1 billion in investment just to keep the plant viable. With the economic climate already squeezing margins, ExxonMobil’s decision was, as BBC News reported, a hammer blow: 179 directly employed workers and about 250 contractors face redundancy, with only a handful—perhaps 50—offered transfers to the company’s Fawley Petrochemical Complex in Hampshire, some 480 miles away.
The Mossmorran plant has been a fixture in Fife for nearly 40 years, producing ethylene, a base material for plastics, through a process known as thermal or steam cracking. Its closure, expected in February 2026, not only imperils jobs but also marks another chapter in the decline of Scotland’s traditional heavy industry. The news comes on the heels of the Grangemouth oil refinery’s recent conversion into a fuels import depot, which itself triggered 400 redundancies.
As the dust settled from ExxonMobil’s announcement, the response from political leaders was swift—but far from unified. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes quickly declared she would convene a Scottish Government-led taskforce, with Scottish Enterprise at the forefront, and called a summit for Tuesday, November 25. Her aim, she told BBC Scotland News, was clear: “Our immediate priority is to explore ways to retain employment at the site and support the workforce through this period of uncertainty.” She added, “In the meantime, this summit will bring together all the key stakeholders and I am keen that we consider every possible option to support the workforce at this distressing time.”
But just as Forbes was rallying support, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander issued his own call for action. In a letter to Forbes dated Friday, November 21, Alexander urged her to join a Fife Council-led taskforce instead, emphasizing the importance of unity and local leadership. “I thought and think that the workers and site at Mossmorran deserve unity rather than political squabbles between Governments in responding to Exxon’s closure decision,” Alexander wrote, according to The Scotsman. He argued that Fife Council’s central role in addressing the economic fallout and supporting the downstream supply chain was “core to any effective response.”
Alexander’s criticism didn’t stop there. He accused the Scottish Government of “weaponising” the closure process for political gain, lamenting that Forbes had announced her own taskforce “without any further discussion and despite your knowledge of the position of Fife Council.” He continued, “The affected workers deserve a genuinely Team Scotland approach with the UK Government, Scottish Government and Fife Council working together, with each bringing their expertise to bear on the basis of equal respect and shared purpose. This cooperation has the strongest prospect of best serving the interests of all those affected.”
Forbes, for her part, hit back at what she saw as UK Government inaction. “The UK Government have had since April to act to support the workforce and have done nothing. I'm focused on the workers at risk and that requires strong leadership,” she told the Daily Record. She explained that Scottish Enterprise was already working to identify “potential alternative investors and employers for the Mossmorran site,” and dismissed the idea of a second, council-led taskforce as duplicative. “To establish a second taskforce led by Fife Council sounds like a duplication of effort. I called Tuesday's summit with the support of the Trade Unions to ensure there is an early discussion and provide updates on steps already taken this week to secure a future for Mossmorran. To wait two weeks as the Secretary of State suggested in his letter is far too long.”
Despite the public disagreement, both governments have pledged to support the workers and mitigate the impact on the local economy. UK ministers, however, have ruled out direct financial support to keep the plant open, framing ExxonMobil’s decision as a commercial one. Alexander reiterated this point, stating his focus would be “on supporting the workforce in the months ahead.” Meanwhile, staff at Mossmorran were briefed on the closure plan, including details about financial packages and opportunities for retraining or relocation. The company has also committed to cleaning up and demolishing the site once production ends, after months of unsuccessfully seeking a buyer.
Political observers, such as BBC’s political correspondent Phil Sim, have noted the almost comical “synchronised summitry” between the two governments. He observed that while the Scottish and UK administrations have a history of working together on industrial crises—pointing to their joint investment in Grangemouth—this time, they seem to be “talking past each other and communicating by press release.” With Fife a key battleground between the SNP and Labour, both sides are keen to be seen as champions of local workers, even if it means duplicating efforts. Yet, as Sim pointed out, the reality is that if a private company decides to shut down, there’s little a government can do short of nationalisation—a step Forbes suggested, referencing the UK Government’s intervention in British Steel at Scunthorpe. But with ministers ruling out such a move, the focus inevitably shifts to retraining and redeployment.
Amid the political wrangling, the human cost remains front and center. Contractors at the plant described the closure as a shock, and uncertainty looms large for hundreds of families in Fife. Both governments have promised to work with trade unions, local authorities, and business leaders to “mitigate the impact of this decision and secure a future for the site,” as Forbes put it. UK officials are expected to attend the Scottish Government’s summit, and all sides have at least expressed a willingness to collaborate—though the path to a unified approach remains unclear.
As the February closure date approaches, the fate of Mossmorran’s workforce will serve as a test of Scotland’s much-discussed “just transition” from fossil fuels to a greener economy. Whether the political leaders can set aside rivalry and deliver meaningful support for the affected workers will determine not just the future of Mossmorran, but also the credibility of their promises to communities facing the end of an industrial era.
