Labour leader Ed Miliband has thrown down the gauntlet to Alex Salmond over his failure to deliver jobs in Dundee.
Mr Miliband, who visited Dundee’s Michelin tyre factory, demanded that the First Minister come back to the City of Discovery and explain what has happened to 700 proposed jobs.
In 2011, the First Minister brokered a provisional agreement with Scottish energy giant SSE to turn the Dundee port into a hub for the rapidly growing offshore renewables sector.
Three years later, not a single job has been created as a result of the ‘memorandum of understanding’ signed by SSE, Dundee City Council, Forth Ports Limited and Scottish Enterprise.
Now, in an exclusive interview with The Courier, the Labour leader is demanding answers.
He said: “Renewable energy is an incredibly important thing for the future and an incredibly important job creator for the future.
“One of the disappointments in Dundee is that Alex Salmond made big promises on renewable energy and isn’t delivering on those big promises.
“While he is focusing on breaking up the United Kingdom he is actually letting down the people of Dundee.
“He should be coming to Dundee and explaining to people why it isn’t happening.
“Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government should be getting stuck in on this and that is what senior Labour figures, like Jenny Marra, are calling for.”
He continued: “We need those jobs Dundee needs those jobs. That is where the focus should be. The big promise that was made is not happening at the moment.”
The comments from the Labour leader came just days after shocking new figures revealed that four out of every 10 Dundonians do not have a job.
Employment statistics released by the Scottish Government show that just 59,500 people were employed in the city in 2013, down from 66,100 in 2008.
In 2004, 10 years ago, 62,200 people were employed in the city.
Mr Miliband added that the current SNP seat, Dundee East, was on Labour’s hit list of constituencies to target in the General Election campaign next year.
“We can build a more just and a more equal Scotland within the United Kingdom,” he said.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Dundee, along with the other ports identified in the National Renewable Infrastructure Plan continues to attract interest from potential inward investors.
“Scotland’s is now one of the world’s leading renewable energy markets and has attracted more than £2.8 billion of capital investment since the start of 2009 with the majority of this in onshore and offshore windfarms.
“More than 11,000 people are now employed in the renewable energy sector.
“However, despite continued investment by the Scottish Government, the UK Government’s protracted Electricity Market Reform process has made investment in the industry a lot more uncertain.
“Scottish Enterprise and HIE will continue to work with inward investors who have expressed an interest in locating in Scotland to take advantage of Scotland’s excellent offshore wind industry.
“As recently announced by the Scottish Government, Dundee will benefit from an additional £8.3 million in funding which will be used to create a new waterfront area to surround the V&A Museum of Design Dundee building and complement its spectacular design.
“This in turn will create local jobs and contribute significantly to the regeneration of the city itself.”