John Swinney has been told he must unequivocally ditch the SNP’s presumption against new oil and gas developments if he’s serious about protecting skilled Scottish jobs and our energy security.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay made the call after the SNP leader’s “throwaway comments” in a podcast interview last night were not backed up by any commitment to ditch his hostile policy.
Findlay said Scotland needs “drilling, not droning” when it comes to the North Sea.
He added that communities in the North East, which have been betrayed by Labour and the SNP’s opposition to domestic oil and gas, needed both parties to finally get behind the Scottish Conservatives’ policy of maximising North Sea extraction.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “As an enemy of our world-leading oil and gas sector, John Swinney’s SNP has stood by as thousands of Scottish workers lost their jobs.
“These workers, and industry leaders, will now question whether his throwaway comments on a podcast are a genuine U-turn or whether it’s just cynical, pre-election SNP spin.
“Will he now unequivocally back our plans to get drilling to protect jobs, bring down bills and build our energy security?
“The SNP must ditch their presumption against new oil and gas developments in the North Sea – but that’s not what Mr Swinney actually said.
“It seems he’s trying to dupe the oil and gas industry by hinting at new-found support, while simultaneously pandering to the extremist Greens.
“The sector will be just as suspicious of an apparent softening of Labour’s hostility to North Sea extraction. Net zero zealot Ed Miliband finally needs to be put in his place by Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer.
“Scotland’s energy workers want drilling, not duplicitous droning from Swinney and Reeves.”