JOHN Swinney has met with industry leaders in the north east after oil giant BP announced it was selling its North Sea business.
The First Minister, along with Energy Minister Stephen Gethins, took part in a roundtable with the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
The meeting was attended by senior representatives from the energy sector, the wider north east economy and trade unions.
It comes as oil giant BP announced last week that it is putting its UK North Sea business up for sale after 60 years of production.
The global energy firm said the decision to market the business for a potential sale forms part of its strategy to slim down the group by selling off parts of the business.
Commenting after the roundtable meeting, the First Minister said: “It is crystal clear that the UK Government’s destructive tax regime is harming investment and jobs in Scotland – and the new Prime Minister must look at this issue as a matter of urgency.
“Scotland's energy security and economic future depend on a fair transition, where North Sea oil and gas production is managed alongside the increasing renewables. That future is built on the world-class workers of the north east, powering the energy future of Scotland.
“Speaking to industry leaders today, I promised that the Scottish Government will do everything within our powers to work together with business, trades unions and the UK Government.
The First Minister also repeated calls for the UK Government to scrap the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), which he described as "damaging".
Swinney added: "What we need, above all, is for the new Prime Minister to end the unfair EPL and put in place a sensible tax regime to protect the workers of Scotland and the north east.”
It comes as US president Donald Trump took yet another aim at the UK Government over its position on North Sea oil.
Speaking to the media in the White House on Monday, he said the UK was “sitting on top of gold” and that it was currently "a bankrupt country".
He also said that in a phone call on his first day in office the Prime Minister had “sounded terrific” on allowing the fossil fuel to be tapped.
