It would be a “complete act of national self-harm” not to continue drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said.
Speaking as his party’s conference got under way in Edinburgh, Russell Findlay said Scotland should use its own oil, rather than relying on foreign imports.
He also continued his attacks on the Scottish Government’s target to reach net zero by 2045, describing the goal as “completely unrealistic”.
Appearing on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Findlay said Scots will need oil and gas “for decades to come”.
He said: “We are the party who completely support the North Sea oil and gas industry.
“The SNP in Edinburgh are completely hostile to any form of new exploration, and it’s exactly the same with Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband in London.
“They want to leave this oil and gas in the North Sea and import oil and gas from further afield. It makes absolutely no sense.”
He warned it would be a mistake not to drill for more oil in Scotland.
“We, as a country, are going to need oil and gas for decades.
“The SNP’s net zero target of 2045 is completely unrealistic on the basis of what we know the cost that it will inflict on the paying public.
“Even if net zero is achieved within a timescale, any kind of timescale like that, we’re still going to need that oil and gas.
“It’s a complete act of national self-harm to leave this natural resource in the ground and then just rely on foreign imports.”
Mr Findlay said there should be a “mix” of energy production in Scotland, including nuclear energy – something opposed by the Scottish Government.
SNP MSP Kevin Stewart said: “The Tories did absolutely nothing in 14 years in power to deliver the just transition Scotland and the North-east needs and deserves – as they wrecked our economy and presided over soaring energy bills.
“Scotland has the natural clean energy resources and skilled workforce required to be a renewables powerhouse but has been repeatedly treated as an afterthought and let down by broken promises from successive Westminster governments.
“This has left Scots in the absurd position of paying some of the highest fuel bills in Europe despite creating an abundance of energy.
“The SNP are clear: Scotland has the energy, we just need the power – and that will only come with the full powers of being an independent nation.”
