THE SNP have a “more extreme” position on oil than Donald Trump, according to an environmental pressure group.
Friends of the Earth Scotland said that the US President’s recent call for increased taxes on fossil fuel companies profiting from the war on Iran showed that “even Trump things they are too greedy”.
The SNP have called for the Westminster “supertax” on oil and gas giants – which have seen profits balloon amid the Middle East conflict – to be scrapped.
First Minister John Swinney said last week that BP’s departure from the declining North Sea basin showed how Labour were “hurting Scotland, especially the north east” and imperilling jobs.
Speaking from the White House on Monday evening, Trump told reporters: “They’re making too much money based on a shortage.”
He added: “They’re going to give some of that back to the public and they better cut the retail price, the consumer price.”
Rosie Hampton, oil and gas campaigns manager at Friends of the Earth said: “The SNP’s position on obscene oil profits is more extreme than Trump’s. It shows you how out of touch the SNP are that they would rather wealthy shareholders kept the proceeds of war rather than taxing these companies to support vital public services.”
“The immoral profiteers who run these companies don’t care about the impact of their oil and gas on people or the environment. Even Trump thinks they are too greedy.
“Trump is often loudly and spectacularly wrong about energy policy but he’s much closer to common sense on this rare occasion.”
The SNP dismissed the accusation as "unserious" and pointed to Trump's history of climate change denialism and opposition to wind power, which he frequently derides as "windmills".
Seamus Logan, the MP for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, said: "Donald Trump calls climate change a hoax, he has demanded an increased reliance on coal and for Scotland to scrap offshore wind projects – including right here off the Aberdeenshire coast.
“Unserious soundbites demeans the gravity of the climate crisis, Scotland’s energy future and Scottish workers because it actively undermines our mission to unlock Scotland’s massive renewables potential.
“There is no moral high ground in slowing renewables investment, forcing high-carbon imports or relaxing sanctions on Russia – and that is exactly what the Labour Government is doing through its damaging tax on Scotland’s energy sector.”
The president’s comments came before BP reported its profits had doubled in the last quarter to $5.7 billion.
He had been responding to the news that Chevron had reported its highest-ever quarterly profit of $12.2bn and ExxonMobil posting second quarter profits of $14.5bn, its highest quarterly profit since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The UK Government’s windfall tax, officially the Energy Profits Levy, has raised £9bn for the public purse since it came in four years ago.
It comes as it was revealed that eight of the world’s largest oil companies had amassed profits of more than $90bn in just three months as the war in Iran sent the Middle East into chaos while energy profits reaped the rewards from the ensuing price shock.
Aramco, BP, Shell, Equinor, TotalEnergies, Eni, Chevron and ExxonMobil made more than $700,000 of profit every minute over the spring quarter, according to analysis by The Guardian.
The SNP were approached for comment.
