Sarwar in ‘crank’ jibe at Swinney over Ming Yang – Daily Business

John Swinney said the Ming Yang refusal was ‘anti-Scottish’

Anas Sarwar has accused John Swinney of being a “crank” for suggesting the security services were involved in blocking a Chinese investment in Scotland.

During Sunday’s televised leaders’ debate the SNP leader questioned why Ming Yang’s £1.5 billion investment in Ardersier was not allowed while other Chinese projects in England had been approved.

“If that’s not an anti-Scottish move by a Labour Government, I don’t know what is,” he said.

The UK government’s official line is that national security issues were behind the decision. Mr Swinney later said in a radio interview that he was seeking transparency rather than questioning the existence of security concerns.

“What I don’t have from the United Kingdom Government is an explanation of why they have blocked the development of that manufacturing capability by the Chinese company Ming Yang,” he said.

In a separate interview Mr Sarwar questioned why Mr Swinney would not accept the reason for blocking the deal.

“If a national security briefing comes to me I will not ignore it, because I will put the national interest before political interest,” said Mr Sarwar.

“For a first minister to suggest that our national security services have some kind of deliberate do-Scotland-down approach sounds like a hyped conspiracy theory and a bit of a crank, to be honest, and I’m not sure that’s what the First Minister intends.”

Reminded that there has been investment by the Chinese elsewhere in the UK, Mr Sarwar said: “Yes, but the world is evolving and we have to accept national security briefings.

“Do I want foreign direct investment? Absolutely, I want to attract investment from around the globe. But we have to expect they pass a national security test.”

Mr Swinney later kept up his line of questioning. “There is Chinese investment, Chinese development being embraced and welcomed in other parts of the United Kingdom – there’s a Chinese super embassy going to be built in the heart of the city of London,” he said.

“And I just cannot understand and fathom the decision of the United Kingdom Government, which is supposed to be interested in developing manufacturing capability in the United Kingdom, to block an investment of £1.5bn which could support and sustain the development of manufacturing capability in Scotland.”

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