Nonsense from Sammy Wilson about Kilroot

This is nonsense. He is trying to make sectarian hay to distract from the fact that his party has landed the workers of Kilroot in this situation.

There has been no preparation or discussion about the fact that Kilroot will have to close – if not this year, certainly by the UK government’s 2025 coal phase-out deadline.

These plans are public knowledge and Sammy must have known about them.

The plant is nearly 40 years old. Coal is being phased out all over the world because it is uneconomical, dirty and unable to compete with cleaner energy sources. The only other coal station on the island of Ireland, Moneypoint in Co Clare, will likely close soon too.

He is also harking back to the times of the Ulster Workers’ Council strike, where loyalist workers could shut down Northern Ireland by closing the power station. This dog whistle is deafening.

This need discussion on transitioning the workers to green energy jobs as the plant closes.

We don’t need point-scoring by Mr Wilson instead.

Adam McGibbon, Belfast BT8