Swinney’s response on oil and gas ‘is incoherent’

First Minister John Swinney told MSPs on Thursday that his Government was against the UK Government’s attempts to ban all new exploration in the North Sea.

Mr Swinney was accused of a “U-turn” on the issue, given Nicola Sturgeon’s administration had supported a presumption against new oil and gas, a position which has softened in the year since.

In a statement on Friday, Dr Rosie Hampton, principal policy adviser at anti-fossil fuel campaigners Uplift, said: “The First Minister’s response is incoherent.

“New licensing will do nothing meaningful for Scotland’s energy security or the industry’s future.

“After 50 years of drilling, the North Sea is an ageing basin in decline, with industry-supported jobs more than halving in the past decade.

“Even the oil and gas lobby accepts that the ban on new exploration licences is right.

“Worse, this debate distracts from Scotland’s real energy problems.

“It won’t cut a penny from people’s bills, which is what’s worrying people, while our continued reliance on fossil fuels is driving the wildfires, flooding and extreme weather we’re increasingly experiencing.

“The SNP’s response to both crises is wholly inadequate.

“The Scottish Government must urgently deliver a coherent transition plan – that means public investing in homegrown renewables, creating secure, long-term jobs and powering Scotland’s future – not siding with oil profiteers like some tartan Trump.”

Scottish Green energy spokesman Kristopher Leask said the First Minister’s stance was akin to “pouring petrol on a fire”.

“He is betting Scotland’s energy future on a dwindling supply of North Sea oil and gas, when the ones who stand to benefit are the multinational billionaire oil and gas giants, whilst Scottish households won’t see a penny off their bills as we stay hooked on the fuels driving the climate crisis,” he said.

“Oil and gas jobs are being lost because oil and gas is running out. The Scottish Government must properly invest in the oil and gas workforce, particularly in the North East, Orkney, and Shetland.

“Our economy is changing as our energy system does, and instead of properly planning for that change and giving certainty to workers long term, the Tories, Reform, Labour, and the SNP use oil and gas to score political points.”

While Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “He’s not a Tartan Trump – he’s a Slippery Swinney who’s being shamelessly two-faced.

“The SNP still have a presumption against new drilling no matter what Swinney is now apparently suggesting. And he’s repeatedly refused to back our calls for new North Sea drilling.

“People across Scotland, but especially oil and gas workers, will see right through this fork-tongued First Minister.”

Reform UK energy spokesman Duncan Massey said the ban would be an act of “perverse economic self-harm”, adding: “Renewables have a role to play but the hard reality is a modern economy needs cheap, abundant, reliable energy – and that means fossil fuels for years to come.

“Wind and solar cannot keep the lights on by themselves and much of the net zero programme is still pie in the sky.

“Reform will maximise domestic oil and gas in the medium term, move decisively to nuclear as the long-term foundation and use renewables to fill in the gaps.”

Scottish Lib Dem environment spokeswoman Sanne Djikstra-Downie said: “In an uncertain world, we need energy security and to reduce our country’s exposure to global shocks.

“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s reckless war with Iran has shown how dangerous and expensive it is to depend on imported fossil fuels.

“It’s time to drive down demand for gas and wean ourselves off fossil fuels.

“It’s why Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for the rapid expansion of climate-friendly heating systems like heat pumps, an emergency insulation programme that makes homes warmer and cheaper to heat, and for people to get the full benefits of renewable energy.”

Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said: “The Scottish Government’s position on North Sea oil and gas projects is well known – we need to see a parallel track approach to the energy transition, in which oil and gas production is managed alongside the increasing deployment of renewables such as offshore wind, where Scotland is world-leading.

“We have consistently called on the UK Government to approach decisions on North Sea oil and gas projects on a rigorously evidence-led, case-by-case basis, with climate compatibility and energy security as key considerations. And it is absolutely critical that if any new production goes ahead, then the economic benefits should be felt in Scotland, rather than flowing to the Treasury.

“The biggest threat to Scotland’s energy transition is uncertainty and UK policies such as the Energy Profits Levy, which is driving an accelerated decline of North Sea oil and gas. The UK Government must replace this levy with a fair system that protects jobs, reform the transmission charges that put Scottish renewable generators at commercial disadvantage, and ensure the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan fully reflects Scotland’s offshore wind pipeline. Failure to do so risks investment, jobs and supply chain growth.”