New West Lothian MP says pit closures in 1980s hold lessons for today

Ms Sullivan won the new Bathgate & Linlithgow seat for Labour at the general election, defeating the SNP's Martyn Day - who had been MP for Linlithgow & Falkirk East since 2015 - by 8,323 votes.

Lessons about the importance of Grangemouth’s future should be learned from the pit closures in the 1980s, says Kirsteen Sullivan. Picture: Michael Gillen | TSPL

In her maiden speech at Westminster, she spoke of the constituency's natural beauty - including the Bathgate hills and Beecraigs and Polkemmet country parks - and also its industrial heritage, highlighting lessons from the past for the current threat of closure at Scotland’s only oil refinery at Grangemouth. 

She said: "This year marks the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike and the subsequent closure of Polkemmet colliery after the pit pumps were switched off, flooding the galleries.

“The smouldering slag heap has been removed, and new houses have been built as part of one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe, but the town of Whitburn and the surrounding communities were devastated, with many families enduring severe hardship.

"The mistakes of the past must not be repeated. Lessons must be learned about the impact of such loss on individuals, on families and on entire communities. That is why I support the fight to keep Grangemouth working and to keep the jobs on which many of my constituents rely, particularly in Bo’ness and Linlithgow."

She praised ministers in the new Labour government for "their proactive approach to working towards a sustainable future for the site".

Ms Sullivan said: “While we honour our history and the traditions of the past, we look to the future with hope and ambition.

“From the shale bings across the constituency, and the former brickworks and foundries, to the former British Leyland site, Plessey Semiconductors - now Whiteside business park - and the Pyramids business park, which once housed Motorola, the people of the Bathgate and Linlithgow constituency have always embraced change and technological advances.”

But she said despite jobs and opportunities on the doorstep, too many people still faced barriers to employment and many were not earning enough to get by.

“That creates huge demand on local food banks and other vital support services, including those offered by our local third sector organisations, which do a tremendous and invaluable job.

“Child poverty is a scandal that blights communities across the country and in my constituency, but it does not exist in a vacuum. Low pay, high rent, high mortgages, exorbitant energy bills and the rising cost of food all contribute to severe financial pressures on families.”