ELON Musk has appeared to rule out opening a Tesla gigafactory in Scotland after a call from Alba for him to do so.
The party’s Holyrood leader Ash Regan wrote to the billionaire urging him to establish a base in Scotland similar to a plant in Berlin which employs more than 10,000 workers.
However, Musk responded to our sister paper The Herald’s article on Alba’s call when it was shared on Twitter/X – the social media platform he also owns.
Musk said: “Very few companies will be willing to invest in the UK with the current administration.”
Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny (below) had said that “Labour under Starmer have embarked on a further cycle of austerity to match the Westminster electoral cycle”.
He added: “Their recent attack on employers through the National Insurance hike has stagnated growth and their anti-industry approach to the North Sea has halted investment.
“Scotland is being held back by Westminster and this is just the latest example of that.”
Twitter/X owner Musk has hit out at the Labour Government on a number of occasions, previously stating that he thought Reform UK would win the next General Election.
He previously met with Nigel Farage amid rumours he would be making a major donation to the party.
MSP Regan meanwhile had said that the “case for a gigafactory in Scotland is strong”.
She said: “There will be nothing ‘just’ about a transition that sees Scottish industry left behind and the high quality of jobs of today gone tomorrow.
“Already we are seeing the real possibility of the value added skills at Grangemouth going, with the quality jobs carried out abroad with only service jobs left behind.
“The transition towards more electric vehicles is happening, and Government targets run the risk of the only way people can get an electric vehicle is if all the skilled work is carried out overseas with the end product shipped to Scotland.
“The case for a gigafactory in Scotland is strong. We have great access by land, air and sea to the world and are perfectly placed to not only serve the Scottish market but also the rest of the UK and Ireland.
“If Elon Musk took up my offer to explore expansion into Scotland it would be a game changer for our manufacturing base, bring billions to our economy and create thousands of highly skilled and well paid jobs.”
When the Tesla gigafactory in Berlin opened in October 2021, the IG Metall union reported that workers were being offered salaries 20% below the equivalent agreements at other automotive factories in Germany.
In 2023, the union also alleged the company had set out unreasonable working hours and created a “culture of fear” around speaking out.
