UNJUST & OBSCENE

TYCOON Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been condemned after his firm announced the closure of Scotland’s only oil refinery as he neared a £1.3billion-pound deal to take charge of Manchester United.

It was revealed yesterday that Grangemouth oil refinery is set to cease operations by April 2025 with the site becoming a fuel import terminal, putting about 400 jobs at risk.

Workers were summoned to meet bosses from plant owners Petroineos over their futures. About 500 people are employed at the refinery.

In an email sent to staff and seen by the Record, the company predicted its refinery business on the Firth of Forth will "soon be unable to compete effectively" with overseas rivals.

The closure news came as Ratcliffe edged closer to buying a 25 percent stake in Manchester United for a reported £1.3billion, following months of negotiations.

Ratcliffe was criticised last night and climate campaigners insisted there should be no public money spent on Grangemouth while he is in charge.

Rosie Hampton, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Ineos are an obscenely wealthy firm whose owner has billions to splash on buying Manchester United, so the Scottish Government must not give any free Mhandouts of public money or bend over backwards for this company."

Ratcliffe controls a 50 percent stake in the Grangemouth refinery through his chairmanship of the Ineos conglomerate.