Former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has urged people in Aberdeen South not to split the unionist vote in next week’s by-election.
Voters will go to the polls on Thursday to replace former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, who was elected to Holyrood and made a minister last month.
Oil and gas has, unexpectedly, become a key battleground for the three parties seen as having the best chance to win the seat – the Scottish Tories, the SNP and Reform UK.
But senior Conservative figures are worried that votes for Reform could split their support and allow the SNP to retain the seat.
Speaking ahead of a visit to the seat, Baroness Davidson said the result was “on a knife-edge”.
“Aberdeen South’s next MP will either be a Scottish Conservative MP, in Douglas Lumsden, who will relentlessly champion the oil and gas industry, or an SNP MP who will only accelerate the decline of the North Sea,” she said.
“No other party can beat the SNP here. That is why pro-UK voters in Aberdeen South must unite on Thursday and vote for Douglas Lumsden to be their new MP.
“If they vote for any other party, including Reform, then they will wake up on Friday morning with another SNP MP.
“Douglas Lumsden is the only candidate who can be trusted to reverse the reckless policies from the SNP and Labour that are destroying the oil and gas sector.”
Mr Lumsden said he was “delighted” the former leader would join him on the campaign trail, adding: “Every vote will count in Aberdeen South on June 18 and I’m determined to fight for every single one.
“This by-election is personal for me having worked in the industry for 25 years. I’m angry about what anti-oil-and-gas SNP and Labour politicians are doing to this city.
“If all pro-UK voters unite behind me, then Aberdeen South can have an MP who will always stand up for oil and gas workers, and back plans to get Britain drilling again.”
But SNP candidate Richard Thomson claimed: “The Tories destroyed 70,000 oil and gas jobs and introduced the hated windfall tax that is ruining 1,000 jobs a month – they are no friends of our energy sector.
“Scotland’s energy resources should be used to enrich the Scottish people – that is something the Tories and Reform never want to see happen, they want to keep syphoning off billions from our North Sea and send us nothing back return.
“Nigel Farage has his eyes fixed on Aberdeen South’s energy wealth and we cannot let him get his hands on it – only the SNP can beat the Tories and Reform on June 18.”
Reform UK MSP Duncan Massey said the SNP and Scottish Tories had “presided over the decline” of the oil and gas industry and his party “outright rejects this approach”.
“It makes no sense for the United Kingdom to sit on vast oil and gas reserves while importing energy from overseas,” he added.
“Every barrel not produced in the North Sea is replaced by imports. That doesn’t reduce global emissions, it simply exports Scottish jobs.
“That’s why Reform UK supports new drilling and long-term investment in the North Sea.
“We believe energy workers should be backed, not punished.
“Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord visited Ineos this week and it is clearer than ever that the current net zero agenda is crippling British industry, increasing costs and threatening jobs.
“Reform UK is the only party prepared to stand up for Scotland’s energy sector without apology.”
Only his party’s candidate Jo Hart, Mr Massey said, “can be trusted to stand up for Scotland’s energy workers”.
