Ed Miliband's net zero policies could be dealt a devastating blow on Thursday when voters in Britain's energy capital head to the polls. A by-election in Aberdeen South may see voters vent their fury at the ban on new oil and gas exploration as Britons face higher energy bills.
Voters are poised to send a strong message to Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband in the upcoming by-election. While UK-wide attention has focused on the Makerfield by-election, which could see Andy Burnham catapulted into Westminster, Conservatives are hopeful for a breakthrough in the Aberdeen South contest. The election is seen as an opportunity for voters to express anger at Labour's policy of banning licences to explore new oil and gas fields at a time of high energy prices and concerns that hostile states could target supply lines.
Political Reactions
Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho criticized the ban, stating: "Ed Miliband is intent on leaving British resources under the North Sea while he happily pays Norway billions of pounds for the same oil and gas we could have drilled ourselves. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are on the line, and billions in tax revenue, with communities being shuttered up because of Labour and the SNP's ideological obsession against our own industry."
An Aberdeen-based manager in the energy industry, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the decline in Aberdeen in recent years: "The atmosphere of positivity that I first experienced in the 1970s – and which endured until recently – has been replaced by one of despair, tinged with anger. That anger is driven by the fact that we are importing oil and gas that we already have ready access to, particularly from Norway. The Norwegians I work with are incredulous that we are not extracting the oil and gas available to us to generate wealth. This is wealth that could ease the burden on UK taxpayers and help shore up our crumbling defence forces. Choosing not to exploit our own oil and gas reserves is, in my view, economic suicide."
Conservative Campaign
Former Scottish Secretary David Mundell urged people to vote for Conservative candidate Douglas Lumsden, saying: "Ed Miliband is determined to close the North Sea down. That's already costing thousands of jobs in the North East and doing untold damage to the local economy." He described this as an opportunity for voters to send a message "they want the North Sea opened for business now and an end to Ed Miliband's obsessive net zero agenda."
By-Election Background
The by-election was triggered by SNP MP Stephen Flynn standing down following his election to the Scottish Parliament. In the 2024 election, Labour finished 3,758 votes behind the SNP, but the Conservatives were just 155 votes behind Labour, fuelling ambitions that the seat could turn blue.
However, SNP Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth pledged her party would "protect the world-class oil and gas sector we have today while building another world-class renewables industry right by its side." SNP minister Mairi McAllan has said there should be more drilling provided it "can be demonstrated that it's both climate-compatible and required for energy security."
Government Response
A Labour Government spokesperson said: "Claire Coutinho oversaw one disaster after another as Energy Secretary – failing to build new nuclear, continuing with the onshore wind ban, and failing to protect consumers let down by energy companies. That is why she and her party were booted out of office. This Government is taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea, which will play an important role for many years to come."
