Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has stated that Aberdeen is "dying" because of the Scottish National Party's (SNP) insufficient support for the oil and gas industry. During a visit to the city, she accused the SNP of speaking "out of both sides of its mouth" regarding the fossil fuel sector.
By-Election Referendum on Oil and Gas
Speaking in Aberdeen, Badenoch declared that the upcoming Aberdeen South by-election should serve as a referendum on oil and gas. The by-election was triggered after Stephen Flynn, now Scotland's Transport Secretary, was elected to the Scottish Parliament.
Badenoch criticized her own party's introduction of the windfall tax on oil and gas firms but emphasized that Labour had increased it and made it permanent. She questioned the SNP's calls for scrapping the tax, saying, "The SNP speak with both sides of their mouth. They are not supporting the oil and gas industry."
She further argued that the SNP does not "care" about the sector, adding, "That's one of the reasons why oil and gas is dying, it is one of the reasons why Aberdeen is dying. We are losing funding, we are losing tax revenue, young people are not getting jobs – where is the SNP when all this is happening? All they do is sit in Holyrood and complain about everything. They do not deliver."
Support for Conservative Candidate
Badenoch encouraged voters to back Douglas Lumsden, who announced his candidacy for Westminster shortly after being elected to the Scottish Parliament, stating he would be "one less nationalist MP." She said, "We want this to be a referendum on oil and gas."
She also took aim at Reform UK, saying while "Reform talk a good game," they "don't actually do anything." Badenoch highlighted her commitment to Aberdeen, noting, "This is the fourth time I've made a trip to Aberdeen and that is because I care about oil and gas, I care about this industry, I care about this city."
Candidate Responses
Richard Thomson, the SNP candidate, dismissed Badenoch's comments as the "height of hypocrisy." He stated, "In government, the Tories gave us a merry-go-round of Energy Ministers who only had one thing in common, and that was to continue siphoning off billions from Scotland's oil and gas sector. In contrast, the SNP has created a new role within our newly formed government with the energy minister reporting directly to the First Minister."
Thomson added that it was a "disgrace" that Scotland has some of the highest energy bills in Europe while the industry loses about 1,000 jobs each month. He said, "Only the SNP is on the side of our energy sector and we are the only party that wants the rich resources of the North Sea to be under the control and working for the benefit of the Scottish people."
Jorg Shelton-Eckstein, the Scottish Greens candidate, said, "For too long, the needs of our communities here in the North East have been ignored by governments in London and Edinburgh, as well as by the fossil fuel giants that have profited from our city and exploited our workers for decades."
Mel Sullivan, the Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate, commented, "People across the constituency feel like things aren't working. Even as the North East produces much of Scotland's energy, our household bills are soaring while, under the SNP, waits to see a GP are far too long."
