A Westminster Hall debate on the role of shipyards in economic growth saw fierce criticism of the Scottish Government, as MPs condemned the decision to award a £175 million ferry contract to a Polish shipyard instead of Ferguson Marine in Scotland.
Labour’s Richard Baker MP (Glenrothes and Mid Fife), who led the debate, said the announcement was “deeply dispiriting”, arguing that Scottish shipbuilding had been let down by a lack of ambition from SNP ministers.
“It is a great concern for Ferguson Marine in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West (Martin McCluskey). SNP Ministers simply have to show more ambition for Scotland’s shipyards,” he said.
The debate quickly turned into a scathing assessment of how the Scottish Government has mishandled Ferguson Marine, which has been state-owned since 2019 but failed to secure the contract for seven new Loch-class vessels.
John Grady MP (Glasgow East) tore into the SNP’s record, calling their management of the shipyard “an absolute scandal”, adding:
“The outcome of six years of SNP control of that shipyard is hundreds of millions of pounds wasted.”
He highlighted Audit Scotland’s 2024 report, which raised concerns over Ferguson Marine’s governance, stating:
“Internal audit has not been able to provide assurance on FMPG’s risk management, control and governance arrangements.”
Grady also lambasted the Scottish Government’s decision to send the contract abroad, accusing them of “prioritising opportunities in Poland over those in Port Glasgow.”
Patricia Ferguson MP also expressed outrage, arguing that this contract should have been Ferguson Marine’s opportunity to rebuild:
“The award of the contract to a Polish company is very disappointing, as the contract for the seven new, smaller ferries was seen as a way of allowing Ferguson Marine to move forward, to put its troubles behind it and to build the kind of ships that it has expertise in doing.”
MPs also highlighted the wider failures of the Scottish Government’s ferry strategy, with multiple late, over-budget vessels leading to an unreliable service for island communities.
Grady pointed to the botched Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferry projects, stating:
“The SNP Government have failed the people of Port Glasgow—some of the most deprived communities in our family of nations—while wasting hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.”
Sarah Jones MP echoed these frustrations, branding the SNP’s ferry procurement failures as “not just an embarrassment, but a failure of basic governance.”
MPs called for a new strategic vision for UK shipbuilding, with Baker urging the Government to take a more active role in securing future contracts for UK yards.
He praised the Harland & Wolff deal with Navantia UK, which secured jobs across four yards, but warned:
“It was no easy process to secure a deal for Navantia UK to take on all four yards… The SNP needs to learn from this and ensure future opportunities don’t go overseas.”
Grady reinforced this point, stressing:
“We need to keep warship building work in the UK. Make no mistake: this is essential for national security.”
Adding to the frustration in Westminster, MPs noted the absence of SNP members in the chamber.
Grady quipped:
“Perhaps they are all listening to ‘Desert Island Discs’—although one wouldn’t reach the desert island if the SNP were in charge.”
Jones added:
“I am sorry about the decision that was made in Scotland. I am also sorry that there is no one here from the SNP to make their case.”
The debate underscored growing anger at the Scottish Government’s handling of Ferguson Marine and ferry procurement, with Labour MPs calling for urgent reforms to prevent further shipbuilding contracts from leaving Scotland. With Ferguson Marine’s future now in question, pressure is mounting on the SNP to explain how they plan to safeguard jobs and secure future contracts for Scottish shipyards.
It’s not just the SNP, though they’re a clear example of hypocritical behaviour. All politicions blame the last party, the other party, foreign party’s, domestic party’s. It’s always someone else’s fault never theirs and oh we’ll sort it out in……….. five/ten/ twenty years time ( but not straight away because of see above)
But sometimes it absolutely is the previous lots fault
… That’s just a fact
Sometimes absolutely
, but if you want a live example use the welsh senedd.. for the last 15 years all the problems have been the fault of the tories in Westminster but now even though things are worse here they can blame the UK government because Labour got in.
So it is always somebody else to blame? Always somebody else creates some complex conspiracy to deliberately set out to do nad things? Hindsight is not available beforehand.
Rightly so.
For all their lies with respect to Westminster and frigate building, it is the SNP who are sending this contract abroad.
No not the SNP but CMAL. Perhaps if peoplke had not contiunually undermined Fergusons they would have been in a different place to deliver. Yoiu can’t blame a political parthy for failing to do one thing (who are not ship builders anyway) then complain bitterly when they take heed of the complaints and place the orders elsewhere!