METRO mayors across England have vowed to join forces to secure the industry’s future on the eve of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s summit on bus manufacturing.

Mr Sarwar called the summit last month in the wake of the announcement that Alexander Dennis would end production at its Falkirk and Larbert facilities, plunging the livelihoods of 400 skilled workers into jeopardy and dealing another blow to a local economy already reeling from the closure of Grangemouth’s oil refinery.

The company said that without at least 70 orders for new electric buses this year and 300 the next, its operations would be centralised in Scarborough, but the Scottish government argued the UK Subsidy Control Act prevented the use of procurement to support domestic production.

Holyrood’s cross-party economy and fair work committee recently dismissed that claim, a position also taken by England’s metro mayors, not least Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham, whose Greater Manchester Combined Authority recently purchased 160 buses from the threatened Scottish plants — nearly four times the number bought by a Scottish government, which to continue to import from from China.

Falkirk’s Labour MP Euan Stainbank said: “The Tories and the SNP should have seen their spending of taxpayers cash as strategic opportunity to back Scottish jobs and industry, instead of a chance to send champagne corks popping in Beijing boardrooms.”

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard argued that the £15.6bn earmarked in the UK government spending review for England’s transport authorities — and the consequential £1.6bn flowing into Scottish government coffers — could be directed not only to save jobs, but grow the industry.

“I’m proud that we’re turning the tide of the last 40 years by taking back control of our buses,” he said. 

“That doesn’t just mean we have more control over routes, fares and timetables — it means we can choose to buy better buses, using our buying power to help shape the industries of the future.”

Liverpool City Region’s Labour Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Backing British manufacturing is a win-win — it supports skilled jobs, boosts the economy and helps us build the greener future we all want to see.”

Welcoming the commitment, Mr Sarwar said: “This is powerful statement of intent from Labour mayors, who are working together to back Scottish and British industry and support good jobs — like those at Alexander Dennis.”