SNP man in '˜productive' talks over RBS closure plan

The SNP's Westminster leader says he hopes a breakthrough can be found in the bid to keep open closure-threatened Royal Bank of Scotland branches.

It is too late to save those already axed in an earlier cull - including those in Main Street, Stenhousemuir and La Porte Precinct, Grangemouth - but 62 other RBS branches around the country, for example in Linlithgow and Bellshill, are currently marked for closure.

This weekend the SNP’s Ian Blackford MP told the BBC direct talks he has had with RBS chiefs are “moving in a positive direction”, but RBS has so far declined to comment.

Mr Blackford argues many of the threatened branches are vital services that are hugely important for loccal people and businesses, and has attacked the UK Government of “refusing to take action”.

He says he has bypassed the Government to go direct to RBS with his concerns, and is hopeful “a breakthrough can still be found”.