Kemi Badenoch has condemned the 'utter madness' of opposition to North Sea drilling after a University of Aberdeen study revealed 4.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent remain west of Shetland. The Conservative leader accused Labour and the SNP of blocking new drilling while energy bills soar.
Speaking ahead of the Aberdeen South by-election on June 18, Badenoch said: 'It defies belief that Labour and the SNP won’t drill our own oil and gas... The University of Aberdeen survey just demonstrates the utter madness of the stance taken by Keir Starmer and John Swinney.' She argued domestic oil and gas are vital for energy security and the North East economy.
Badenoch pledged to scrap the windfall tax and ban on new developments if the Conservatives win. She joined Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay and by-election candidate Douglas Lumsden on a visit to an oil and gas employer, calling the vote 'a referendum on the future of oil and gas'.
SNP candidate Richard Thomson countered that Tory policies have cost thousands of jobs, and accused Westminster of syphoning £400 billion from the industry. A UK Government spokesperson said new licences 'cannot give us energy security' and urged a shift to clean power.
