Research on oil and gas in the North Sea “demonstrates the utter madness” of the SNP and Labour’s opposition to drilling, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Conservative leader’s comments came as a study by the University of Aberdeen revealed there are reserves of oil and gas in the area west of Shetland of 4.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
Ms Badenoch said the survey demonstrates the “utter madness” of the stance taken by Sir Keir Starmer and John Swinney to oppose drilling in the North Sea.
She said: “It defies belief that Labour and the SNP won’t drill our own oil and gas in the North Sea when independent reports have found there are billions of barrels lying untapped.
“The University of Aberdeen survey just demonstrates the utter madness of the stance taken by Keir Starmer and John Swinney.
“Domestic oil and gas are vital to the nation’s energy security, as well as being the economic lifeblood of the North East. Yet the industry is on its knees due to the windfall tax and the ban on new developments. The Conservatives would scrap both immediately.”
Ms Badenoch is joining Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay and the party’s candidate, Douglas Lumsden, on a visit to an oil and gas employer in the Aberdeen South constituency on Friday ahead of the by-election on June 18.
Ms Badenoch said: “The Aberdeen South by-election is a referendum on the future of oil and gas – and voters know that the Conservatives will always have workers’ backs.
“Only Douglas Lumsden, who worked in the oil and gas industry, can beat the SNP. By voting for Douglas, voters can send a clear message to the nationalists and Labour that their war on oil and gas must end.”
Mr Findlay said Ms Badenoch is a “champion” of Scotland’s oil and gas sector ahead of meeting her on Friday.
He said: “It will be great welcoming Kemi back to the North East, where people know she’s a champion of our oil and gas sector, which is on life support due to Labour and SNP opposition to new drilling.
“This by-election is a golden opportunity for people in Aberdeen South to oppose this idiotic, economic self-harm.
“The only way to do that is to vote for Douglas Lumsden. This contest is a straight fight between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP – and voting for any other party risks the sleazy nationalists winning by default.
“That’s what happened in the corresponding Holyrood seat, when the pro-UK vote split. We can’t let that happen again.”
Richard Thomson, SNP candidate for Aberdeen South, said: “The Tories’ legacy in Aberdeen is thousands of oil and gas jobs lost thanks to the Tories’ tax on our energy.
“By putting Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands, we can take sensible licensing decisions based on Scotland’s needs with energy security, jobs and net-zero compatibility being part of that consideration.
“Cleary we should prioritise domestic supply over carbon intensive imports and we should never find ourselves weakening sanctions on Russian oil like Westminster has done.
“Just like the Reform party, the Tories couldn’t care less about our oil and gas industry, they care about milking every last penny out of it without investing anything back – £400 billion has been syphoned off by these crooks in Westminster and only the SNP would use our vast energy wealth to protect Scottish jobs and build a wealthier, independent, country.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Issuing new licences to explore new fields cannot give us energy security and will not take a penny off bills.
“The lesson of yet another fossil fuel crisis is the UK needs to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and onto clean homegrown power we control.”
