The Scottish Greens have been accused of being "anti-Aberdeen" by Michael Gove as he attacked the party's stance on the North Sea oil and gas sector.
The UK Cabinet Office minister used a visit to the north east of Scotland to speak out against the prospect of the SNP signing a power-sharing agreement with the environmentalists at Holyrood.
Nicola Sturgeon's party is one seat short of an overall majority following May's election and her deputy John Swinney last week confirmed talks were on-going with a possible deal with the Greens.
But the Tories have attacked the potential tie-up as proof the SNP is ready to ditch its support for the oil and gas industries.
Speaking on a visit to Aberdeen today, Gove said he hoped the Nationalists would keep the Greens at "arms length".
"We know that if we're going to succeed in the future, and have the energy mix that we need, that oil and gas are going to be part of that," he said.
"The Greens are anti-oil and gas, anti-growth, anti-investment, anti-North East, and anti-Aberdeen - so I hope the SNP keep them at arm's length, because I do not believe a formal SNP-Green compact would be good for the north east, or good for jobs."
Asked about the prospect of an IndyRef2 following polling that showed support for independence had slipped, Gove added: "I think the case for the Union has been reinforced by the need for us all to recognise the scale of covid recovery ahead of this."
He continued: "We're not going to have a referendum any time soon. Therefore, the most important thing for me, is not speculating about the whys and wherefores of a referendum, but making sure we work together - the Scottish Government, the UK Government and other devolved administrations - to deal with covid."
Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: “The Scottish Greens have shown how we can tackle the climate emergency by delivering a fair transition that supports oil and gas workers to move into the clean industries of the future and leaves no one behind.
"I was elected by the people of the north east to deliver that transition just last month and if I have to put Michael Gove’s nose out of joint to do so then so be it.”
SNP MSP Jackie Dunbar said: "You couldn't mark Michael Gove's brass neck with an oil rig flare. Successive Tory Governments have paid scant regard to the needs of the north east beyond milking every penny it could squeeze out of Scotland's oil.
"More recently, the Tories have done untold damage to North East communities as they have sold our vital fishing industry down the river with their devastating hard Brexit deal, putting several firms on the brink of collapse.
"The Tories won't stop there as the North East will have more Brexit damage inflicted on it by the rotten Australia deal that the Tories negotiated, creating a template for other trade deals to undercut farmers and crofters in the north east and across Scotland.
"Scotland and the north east needs protection from the Tories and the only way to do that is with the full powers of independence."
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