The SNP have been accused of a “fresh betrayal” of oil and gas workers after their new energy minister refused to give his backing to future drilling in the North Sea.
In an interview with the Press and Journal today, Stephen Gethins warned that the Nationalists’ long-awaited energy strategy may not be published this year, meaning the ‘presumption against’ policy on new developments remains in place, despite the sector shedding 1,000 jobs per month.
Asked if he backed further exploration in the North Sea, Gethins, whose post has been relegated from John Swinney’s cabinet, replied: “Not for the sake of it”.
Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Conservative candidate for the Aberdeen South by-election, said it defied belief that the SNP are still ignoring the siren warnings of the oil and gas industry and putting the concerns of “net-zero zealots” before jobs and economic and energy security.
He added that further delaying the publication of the energy strategy confirmed that the apparent softening of Swinney’s opposition to new drilling during the Holyrood election campaign was a “cynical ruse to dupe voters” in the North East.
Lumsden said that voters in Aberdeen South must unite behind him to beat the SNP and send a message to Labour and the Nationalists that their war on North Sea oil and gas must end.
Scottish Conservative candidate for Aberdeen South Douglas Lumsden said: “Will the penny ever drop with the SNP about the scale of the crisis facing the North Sea oil and gas industry, or do they simply not care about it?
“Stephen Gethins’ comments are a fresh betrayal of oil and gas workers.
“The industry is on life support, with 1,000 jobs per month being lost, and yet he’s kicking the can down the road on the SNP’s energy strategy and banging on about climate compatibility tests.
“This is an emergency. We need to see Labour ditch the windfall tax now, and both them and the SNP give their unequivocal backing to fresh drilling.
“People in Aberdeen South and across the country can see that John Swinney’s apparent softening of his opposition to new projects during the Holyrood election was just a cynical ruse to dupe voters.
“The reality is their reckless ‘presumption against’ policy remains in place because Swinney is too weak to stand up to the net-zero zealots inside and outside the SNP.
“This by-election is a chance for voters to send a message to Labour and the SNP that their war on oil and gas must end, by backing me and the Scottish Conservatives.
“It’s a two-horse race between us and the SNP, so a vote for any other party will only help the Nationalists cling on.”
Notes to editors
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/7029008/snp-stephen-gethins-north-sea-aberdeen/