Labour's Ian Murray visits Ardgowan Distillery near Inverkip

Labour MP Ian Murray paid a visit to Ardgowan Distillery to see how work on the project is progressing.

Mr Murray was joined by Labour councillor and general election candidate Martin McCluskey and other party members as they were shown around the under-construction distillery.

Ardgowan bosses say the project will employ around 50 people and could bring in more than 50,000 visitors a year.

Mr Murray told the Telegraph that Inverclyde was ‘well placed’ for investment if his party got into power at the upcoming election and said that projects like the distillery showed the area’s potential.

He said: “This is a fantastic facility, and it could be a real jewel in the crown here, not just for employment and economic development but for the making of whisky in this part of the world.

“The ambition to have the visitor centre and link all that in through tourism is really exciting.

"There will not be many people who live around here who will drive past and not be impressed, not only by the building’s architecture but also by what it's trying to achieve.

“It’s really ambitious and it’s fantastic to have it here.

“Reprovisioning a site like this for Scotland’s iconic industry is great and it will be a brilliant for employment in the area and a great sales point for the whole of the region.

“I would hope that this becomes a very proud part of the local area and can be something that shows the blueprint for what can be done here.”

Mr Murray went on to suggest that Inverclyde’s Labour-led council administration had already created some of the conditions needed for further investment.

He said: “This area has some pretty low SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) scores and that’s something we have to invest in, our entire mission as a government will be to create jobs and economic development.

“This site here is the story of how you do that.

“The entirety of Scotland is a key nation for us all in terms of a UK Labour government, but the industrial heartlands of the past are places which we have to reinvest in and get them going again and Inverclyde is well placed for that.”

Councillor McCluskey, highlighted the high number of jobs that had disappeared from Inverclyde’s economy in recent months, with large employers such as EE and Amazon choosing to leave the area.

He outlined the steps he believed his party could take in government to help Inverclyde.

Mr McCluskey said: “For me as the local candidate bringing people like Ian, whom we hope will be at the top table of a Labour government, here is something that I would be looking to do regularly.

“One of the areas where we’ve been let down has been that there hasn’t been enough done to shout about and promote our area in parliament at a UK level.

“There are two massive industries that are really important for Scotland, one is tourism and the other is renewable energy, and here in Inverclyde we are really well placed to take advantage of both.

“We’ve made the investment in terms of attracting more tourism and also having things for people to do when they’re here, which is what a lot of local people have told me is what they want.

“We have an amazing opportunity because of the river to take advantage of renewable industries and the investment that’s coming to Scotland because of that.

“We need to make sure we get our share of that and that it doesn’t just go to the other parts of the country because they’re shouting louder.”