AN Inverclyde councillor is backing a parliamentary push to establish a ferry connection between Greenock and Spain.

Chris McEleny's Alba Party colleagues Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill met with the Scotland Office minister Iain Stewart to push for the re-establishment of direct ferry links between Scotland and mainland Europe.

Cllr McEleny told the Tele that he had asked his fellow party members to make the case for a link between Inverclyde and the continent and that his colleague Mr Hanvey managed to get the matter on the table for talks.

The Scotland Office has now agreed to raise the issue of ferry links directly with the UK Department for Transport.

Mr Hanvey has stated that recent border check issues in Dover demonstrated the need for direct ferry links between Scotland and Europe, suggested that a ferry from Greenock to Bilbao would be 'good for additional resilience'.

Councillor McEleny has also suggested that ferry crossings between Inverclyde and Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man, should be explored too now that the UK has left the European Union.

He said: “Our Alba MPs have been campaigning for ferry connections between Scotland and Europe.

"They secured a meeting with the relevant UK minister to progress the matter and will be following it up.

"I had also asked them to make the case for a west of Scotland link between Greenock and the north of Spain and I am happy that Alba Westminster leader Neale Hanvey MP has got this matter on the agenda.

“I think there may be further opportunities with links between Inverclyde and Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man.

"We should investigate the benefits of this increased resilience in the post-Brexit environment to see what economic benefits they could provide."