Tories demand John Swinney uses first Holyrood vote to back North Sea oil and gas sector as by-election looms
The SNP and the Conservatives are poised to clash over the North Sea oil and gas sector during the upcoming Aberdeen South by-election.
John Swinney is being urged to ensure the first vote of the new Scottish Parliament is on the future of North Sea oil and gas - as the Conservatives attempt to make it a key dividing issue in an upcoming Westminster by-election.
Despite an apparent shift in favour of oil and gas under Mr Swinney’s leadership, the SNP has been criticised for an alleged failure to address where it stands on more drilling for fossil fuels.
During the Holyrood election campaign, the SNP insisted that it was in favour of new oil and gas developments if they meet climate compatibility tests - the same stance Boris Johnson took during his time in Downing Street.
But the SNP government’s draft energy strategy included a proposal for a presumption against new oil and gas developments, despite being an issue reserved to Westminster. The final document was never published and the Scottish government has not updated its energy strategy since 2017.
Opponents on both sides of the debate are demanding that SNP ministers publish an energy strategy as quickly as possible in the new parliament.
The Scottish Conservatives are trying to use the issue as a key dividing line ahead of an upcoming Westminster by-election in Aberdeen South after Stephen Flynn gave up his seat following his election to Holyrood.
It comes after the Labour UK government recommitted to its manifesto pledge for no new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
Climate scientists, the United Nations and the International Energy Agency have all warned that climate targets cannot be met with new drilling for fossil fuels, but the oil and gas industry has warned about the scale of jobs being lost in the sector.
During the election campaign, Mr Swinney vowed to hold an immediate vote on transferring the powers for Holyrood to hold an independence referendum. But his opponents want that pledge ditched and replaced with setting out a position on oil and gas.
Mr Findlay said: “Instead of holding a vote to demand an unwanted referendum, the new parliament should explicitly back Scotland’s critically important oil and gas sector.
“For the sake of the tens of thousands of workers who fear for their future, I’m challenging John Swinney to make this the first vote of the new term.
“Swinney spent the election campaign dishonestly pretending to support oil and gas when, in fact, the SNP is still bound by Nicola Sturgeon’s anti-drilling agenda.”
“Labour have been clear about their ludicrous and dangerous hostility to the industry, but the SNP should also come clean – so let’s have the debate and hold the vote.”
In response, Jack Middleton, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, said: “It is Scotland’s energy and it should be in Scotland’s hands.
“The Tories implemented the catastrophic windfall tax on Scotland’s energy and failed to invest in our industry for decades as it syphoned off more than £350bn from our North Sea.
“The North East has been betrayed by Westminster as oil and gas workers have been cast on the scrapheap by the Tories and the Labour party.
“The Energy Profits Levy must end now and replaced with an Oil and Gas Price Mechanism to stabilise workers’ futures.”
Enrique Cornejo, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) energy policy director, said: “As the leading body for the offshore energy sector, we urge all parties to back Scotland’s offshore industry.
“Without urgent cross-party support, the country risks losing secure homegrown energy and the wider industrial base that relies on it.
“By taking an integrated approach that builds on Scotland’s strengths including subsurface expertise and safe offshore operations, we can secure its industrial future for decades. In doing so, we can help sustain 128,400 Scottish jobs tied to offshore energy and the vital supply chains that span ports, fabrication yards, engineering firms and emerging low-carbon technologies.”
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Once again, we’re seeing more noise than substance from the Scottish Conservatives. Calling for a vote is meaningless unless you’re prepared to take real action, and voters know the Conservatives have repeatedly failed to defend the industry when it actually mattered.
“The SNP, claims to support oil and gas workers while backing policies that prevent new investment and threaten tens of thousands of jobs.”
“Communities in Aberdeen and across the North East don’t need more political theatre, they need a government willing to act.”
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