Nick Clegg says "Bring Green Jobs to Leith!"

9.24.00pm GMT Thu 11th Feb 2010

Nick Clegg with Kevin Lang campaigning for new green jobs at Leith docks.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg today joined local parliamentary candidate Kevin Lang to back the campaign to bring green jobs to Leith.

Last week, a major report by Scottish Enterprise singled out 11 ports as having the potential to play a key role in growing the offshore wind sector in Scotland and scored Leith as the best of the areas considered.

The investment could see 700 new green jobs created for the manufacture of 600 new wind turbines in the Firth of Forth.

Launching a nationwide campaign to create 57,000 jobs across the UK by investing £400m upgrading disused shipyards to enable the production of off-shore wind turbines, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg visited the Leith docks with Kevin Lang to see for himself the great potential for new green jobs in the area.

Nick Clegg said,

"We need to make sure we come out of this recession with a rebalanced and green economy. Our plans would act as a huge boost for Britain's budding wind industry and create nearly 60,000 jobs in many shipyard cities like here in Leith where unemployment is a huge problem.

"New off-shore turbines, with blades the size of the London Eye, need to be built and launched from modern docks, so we need to upgrade our shipyards to take advantage of this massive opportunity.

"Expanding off-shore wind will create jobs but unless we act now, these jobs won't be British jobs. It's a scandal that 90% of the £1.75bn contract for a wind farm off the coast of Kent is going to foreign contractors, with the turbines being manufactured in Germany."

Local Lib Dem Kevin Lang added,

"Last week's report from Scottish Enterprise showed the huge potential here in Leith for the manufacture of new wind turbines. Such an investment would create hundreds of new jobs and help to protect the future of the docks. It would also help our fight against climate change by generating new clean green renewable energy.

"It is now important to turn that potential into reality which is why I am launching my campaign to get Government support for this project and to bring green jobs to Leith."