Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said workers at a Fife plant threatened with closure are going through a “difficult time” after its owner accused the UK Government of “undermining” the business.

ExxonMobil announced on Tuesday it will shut the Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran in February, with more than 400 jobs put at risk.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, the Prime Minister claimed the plant is losing £1 million per week.

On Wednesday morning, chairman of Esso UK at ExxonMobil Paul Greenwood told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the closure was partly down to “deliberate” decisions taken by the Government.

He said there are “four keys to success” in the sector – a cheap and abundant supply of ethane, along with low-cost operations, good market prices for ethylene and a ski

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