Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has drawn a sharp contrast between the Makerfield by-election and the upcoming vote in Aberdeen South, stating that while Makerfield concerns "one man's job and one man's ego," Aberdeen South is about "thousands of jobs" in the oil and gas industry.
Mrs Badenoch visited the Scottish constituency on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's by-election, echoing statements made by Scottish Tory candidate Douglas Lumsden. She emphasized the importance of the vote for the local economy and the energy sector.
"Everyone is talking about the by-election in Makerfield, that is about one man's job and one man's ego, but this by-election is about thousands of jobs," she said. "I want everyone to know that we will never stop fighting for Aberdeen. We will never stop fighting for this city. We need to bring jobs back. We need to bring hope back."
Mrs Badenoch was joined by Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay and Aberdeen South candidate Douglas Lumsden during a campaign visit to Cove Rangers FC in Aberdeen. She reiterated her party's pro-drilling stance in the North Sea, urging voters to send a message of support for the oil and gas industry.
"What people can see is that we can win here in Aberdeen South. Conservatives can win, but we need even people who don't normally vote Conservative to support us, so that we can send a message to the Labour Government and to the SNP that we will back the oil and gas industry," she said.
Mrs Badenoch highlighted Lumsden's local roots and experience, noting that he has lived in Aberdeen all his life, worked in the oil and gas sector, and helped run the council. She also reiterated her commitment to scrapping the energy profits levy, which she described as harmful to the industry.
"I have been championing oil and gas since I became leader of the Conservative Party. I want us to scrap the energy profits levy. Labour has doubled down on it. It's been going on too long. We need to get Scotland to drilling again. So, let's do that," she added.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay described the by-election as a "referendum on oil and gas," noting that thousands of jobs have already been lost and many more are at risk due to hostility from Labour and the SNP. He stressed the importance of the vote, describing it as "on an absolute knife edge."
SNP candidate for Aberdeen South Richard Thomson criticized the Tories for destroying 70,000 oil and gas jobs and introducing a windfall tax that he claims is costing 1,000 energy jobs every month. He argued that only the SNP can beat the Tories and Reform, and that only the SNP will prioritize Scottish energy jobs.
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
