The UK Foreign Office pulling staff out of a Lanarkshire town will cost the economy tens of millions of pounds, an MSP has said.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is relocating around 1000 staff from Abercombie House in East Kilbride to premises in Glasgow over the next two years.

During a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the switch, the local MSP said it was a costly betrayal.

READ NEXT: New training academy to be built on banks of River Clyde

Collette Stevenson, East Kilbride SNP MSP, said the removal of the department from the town would be equal to a £30m “hit” to the local economy.

Stevenson, said: “It beggars belief that Westminster is betraying the community of East Kilbride at the time of a cost of living crisis, which is entirely the result of damaging Tory policies.
 
“The closure of Abercrombie House will be devastating for hard-working families across my constituency, but another broken promise will hardly come as a surprise to those who have already suffered greatly under the twin disasters of austerity and Brexit.
 
“The utter disregard with which Westminster holds the needs and concerns of the people of Scotland shows the urgent need for Scotland to take its future back into our hands.
 
“As long as we remain part of broken Brexit Britain, Westminster will continue to break promises to the people of Scotland – only with independence is a brighter, more prosperous future possible.”

The FCDO has said there will be no job losses as a result of the move and that moving to Glasgow would “widen the future talent pool” available to the department.

In a members debate in Holyrood.

Stevenson said the announcement was a “hammer blow to East Kilbride” that was “causing unnecessary stress for employees.”

She added it was a “reckless decision” and staff had been “overlooked.”

Tory MSP Graham Simpson, Conservative MSP, said HMRC threatened to leave EK previously and move to Glasgow.

He said: “A campaign was launched and I got involved in that

“That decision was reversed in January 2022.

“The announcement by FCDO last year, moving out of Abercrombie House came as a shock to me.

“I’m not delighted about that I’d rather they stay.”

However, he said: “It’s the result of the lease ending for HMRC premises” and added there would be no job losses.

He added: “The key thing is that staff if they have to move are treated properly.”

Monica Lennon, Labour MSP, said: “To move these highly regarded civil service jobs out of east Kilbride is a hard pill to swallow.

“The UK government promised more jobs in East Kilbride instead they are moving them out of the town.”