PRIME minister Sir Keir Starmer looked to Vikings for inspiration as gave his first speech to Scottish Labour conference as Prime Minister.

Introduced by a young worker at the Harland and Wolff yard in Methil who praised the Labour UK government’s efforts to secure its future by brokering its purchase by Spanish state ship-builder Navantia, Sir Keir took to the stage amid a flurry of speculation that a Grangemouth announcement was in prospect.

That announcement came in the form of a pledge that workers being made redundant at the site could now look forward to 18 months of wages, and the commitment of £200 million in investment to find a future for the site, later cautiously welcomed as “a start” by Unite.