The Conservatives did their 'level best to ruin' the oil and gas sector, according to the SNP candidate for Aberdeen South, Richard Thomson. He highlighted a drop in directly employed offshore workers in Scotland from 153,000 in 2010 to under 84,000 in 2023, coinciding with the Tories' time in power.
By-election Battle Over Energy
The Aberdeen South by-election, triggered by the resignation of former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, has become a focal point for debate on the oil and gas industry, given the city's status as Europe's energy capital. Thomson, who lost his seat in 2024, criticised the Tories for siphoning billions from the industry without returning anything, resulting in 70,000 job losses.
Thomson stated: 'The Tories syphoned off billions from our oil and gas industry and sent nothing back in return, but now we know the cost – 70,000 jobs lost. Kemi Badenoch should apologise for 14 years of Tory theft, destruction and callousness.' He added that Westminster parties only care about tax revenues, not the city or workforce generating them.
'The Tories windfall tax is costing 1,000 jobs a month. They've done their level best to ruin our industry and have the audacity to point the figure elsewhere – they are just as complicit as the rest of the Westminster establishment,' Thomson said.
SNP's Vision for Energy
Thomson argued that only the SNP would use Scotland's energy wealth to enrich its people, by putting energy in Scotland's hands, ending the windfall tax, taking sensible licensing decisions, and protecting oil and gas jobs. He warned against letting the Tories or Reform UK win the seat.
However, Conservative candidate Douglas Lumsden dismissed the SNP's remarks as 'desperate spin,' accusing the party of being 'cheerleaders for the downfall of the oil and gas sector.' He noted that the SNP was the first to call for the windfall tax, which the Scottish Conservatives aim to scrap, and still maintain a presumption against new drilling.
'This reckless attitude is costing thousands of jobs and billions in lost revenue – so no one is buying their wolf in sheep's clothing act,' Lumsden said. He argued that Aberdeen was once the oil capital of Europe, but both the SNP and Labour would rather import oil from Russia than drill in the North Sea, where billions of barrels remain untapped.
'The Scottish Conservatives are the only party standing up for oil and gas workers in the north east. Voting for any other party next week, including Reform, risks an SNP win, which could be the final nail in the coffin for the sector,' Lumsden added.
The by-election, seen as a three-way race between the SNP, Conservatives, and Reform UK, will see voters go to the polls on June 18.
