The Labour Group have raised concerns regarding the future of 750 highly skilled jobs at Hunterston with the impending closure of the nuclear power station in 2023. 
Speaking at Largs Community Centre, Jackie Baillie MSP Labour’s spokesperson for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, stated that the SNP government is failing to: “safeguard employment of around 750 high skill and high wage jobs at Hunterston whilst North Ayrshire continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country”. 
However, the comments have been slammed by Cunninghame North MP Kenneth Gibson who stated that new nuclear would be 'astronomically expensive', and jobs will continue at Hunterston B Power Station for decades to come due to decommissioning.
But Ms Baillie said: “The SNP are presiding over a total lack of investment in Ayrshire with no strategic vision for the future and the decline of Hunterston as a national asset” as well as confirming that Labour would reinforce its support for Hunterston nuclear power station in its industrial strategy for Scotland due to be considered at the party’s conference in Dundee. Labour seeks to prioritise investment in the deep water port facility to take advantage of any opportunities in the de-commissioning and other energy sectors including both renewables and nuclear.”
Cunninghame North Labour Secretary Scott Wilson said: “Jackie Baillie’s support for Hunterston is welcome news locally and is in complete contrast with the SNP’s hypocrisy in seeking to close the power station and refusing to countenance its replacement whilst simultaneously supporting its continued operation – necessary to maintain low carbon power supplies to the nation. Labour meanwhile continues to support a balanced energy policy that embraces all forms of low carbon generation including nuclear and wants to support the maintenance of the existing skills and technical expertise that exists in Scotland in the nuclear sector while the SNP want to discard the workforce and create a massive hole in our local economy”.
Ms Baillie added: “The announcement of paltry sums by the SNP Government to encourage studies into “decommissioning of North Sea infrastructure” does not create a single job at Hunterston, nor is it any guarantee of future employment. Kenny Gibson MSP meanwhile reaches new heights of hypocrisy by promoting future work for Hunterston from “Heathrow assembly” and unbelievably, “Faslane living quarters” both of which this SNP Government policies oppose and its proposed independence referendum jeopardises, Labour will build for a future of both in addition to de-commissioning employment in our Industrial strategy.” 
Mr Gibson responded: "It's good to see that Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie has taken time off from her embroilment in Labour's ongoing civil war to visit Largs. Her comment about Labour having a new industrial strategy can be taken with a pinch of salt though. When her hero Tony Blair was Prime Minister from 1997-2007 Labour oversaw the loss of 53% of Ayrshire's manufacturing jobs - 14,500.
"She knows fine well that SNP's policy in terms of new nuclear power stations is the same as Labour's was when they left office. When did Ms Baillie change her mind?
"Whether one supports new nuclear in Scotland or not is no longer primarily a political issue but an economic one. The SNP has supported Hunterston's continued operation throughout our 11 years in government. We do not support new nuclear facilities, believing that renewables are the future. In any case, nuclear power is now so astronomically expensive, relative to other forms of energy that there are no plans to build a new plant in Scotland. If there are, Labour should release those plans, along with details of the timescale for construction, the budget and how it will be funded. I think we'll have a long wait. Until they do, their empty rhetoric on the issue will be seen as just that.
"Jobs will continue at Hunterston B for decades to come, with decommissioning, likely to start in the middle of the next decade.
"Ms Baillie deliberately misrepresents the SNP's position over Heathrow and Faslane. The SNP supports a third runway and did so even before the UK Government, given its importance to Scotland. Bids to assemble part of that at Hunterston have been backed by Scottish Enterprise. Regarding Faslane, we support its retention as a conventional naval base, not a nuclear submarine base, and so do support the pre-fabrication of Faslane living quarters at Hunterston. 
"Regarding her daft criticism of the SNP Government supporting studies into potential decommissioning of marine infrastructure at Hunterston, Labour may want to jump in with both feet. However, we prefer to check if Hunterston is suitable for decommissioning, that it will lead to local employment, investment and not damage the environment first."