SNP ministers have been accused of wanting to ‘shut down the North Sea’ with a ‘shameful presumption’ against new oil and gas drilling. The Scottish Tories issued the warning as the Nationalist Government demanded full control over energy policy, which is currently reserved to Westminster.
Vote for Energy Devolution
MSPs voted 70 to 54 in favour of all energy powers being ‘immediately devolved to the Scottish Parliament’. Energy minister Stephen Gethins said he would ‘formally request the immediate transfer of powers so people do not have to wait for independence to reduce energy bills’.
The symbolic request is expected to be rejected by the Labour government, just as Tuesday’s plea for Holyrood to hold an independence referendum was. SNP ministers published a draft energy strategy in 2023 containing a ‘presumption against new exploration for oil and gas’, and have yet to issue a final version.
Scottish Tory Criticism
Scottish Tory energy spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘If the SNP got control, its energy strategy makes it clear that it would shut the North Sea. We must not let decisions on North Sea energy fall into the SNP’s hands.’ He added: ‘They still have a shameful presumption against the oil and gas industry, which has contributed to thousands of job losses, caused bills to rise and left us increasingly reliant on costly foreign imports.’
Kerr emphasised the importance of the upcoming by-election in Aberdeen South, calling it ‘a referendum on oil and gas’. He stated: ‘If Scottish Conservative candidate Douglas Lumsden wins, local people will have a fiercely pro-oil and gas MP. The stakes for Aberdeen South, and for the oil and gas industry, could not be higher.’
SNP and Green Positions
Mr Gethins told MSPs that for as long as Scotland needed fossil fuels, the SNP wanted the UK to make North Sea licensing decisions ‘on a rigorously evidence-led, case-by-case basis’ about climate compatibility and energy security. He said: ‘Scotland has the energy but it does not have the power. Scotland has vast resources - among the best anywhere in Europe - but the people are not feeling the benefit. Westminster had its chance - it failed. Empowering this Parliament is part of the solution locally, nationally, internationally but also vitally in people’s homes too.’
North East Reform MSP Duncan Massey argued that problems in the UK’s energy system were ‘not caused by temporary gas price spikes, they are caused by net zero policies, particularly the overuse of expensive and intermittent renewables’. He said: ‘We need to maximise our use of oil and gas resources rather than import them from neighbouring Norway or from countries even further afield. We can do that. The North Sea has a strong and vital future, if we choose it.’
Green MSP Lorna Slater warned: ‘We cannot remain tied to the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices. We need to produce our own clean, sustainable and affordable energy from renewable sources.’
UK Government Response
A UK Government spokesman said: ‘Families and businesses in Scotland benefit from being part of a much wider GB-wide energy system, and from our drive for clean power to bring lower bills, energy security and good jobs. Electricity sourced from the lowest cost generation means lower prices, with system and network costs spread across a much larger customer base. The Scottish Government needs to concentrate on using the powers it has to get the basics right for people in Scotland.’
