Commenting on the commitment from John Swinney that the Scottish Government will ask Diageo to change its mind over hundreds of job cuts, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Tavish Scott MSP said: “I welcome John Swinney’s commitment to changing Diageo’s mind over the decision to cut hundreds of jobs in Port Dundas and Kilmarnock.

“The Scottish Government has access to hundreds of millions of pound of clout, both directly and through Scottish Enterprise. They should use every resource at their disposal to get an agreement.”