Kemi Badenoch has declared what she called an “oil and gas emergency” in the North-east of Scotland, accusing Labour and the SNP of putting thousands of energy jobs at risk.
On a visit to Aberdeen, the Conservative leader launched a joint campaign with the Scottish Conservatives to “get Britain drilling again” and urged the UK Government to scrap the Energy Profits Levy and lift its moratorium on new oil and gas licences.
She said: “Scotland, and the whole United Kingdom, faces a growing oil and gas emergency thanks to Labour's inability to put our national interest first.”
Badenoch warned that “by the end of Labour's first term in office, it's not inconceivable that Scotland's oil and gas sector will be at serious risk, with domestic production currently set to half by 2030.”
She accused the Prime Minister of “economic self-sabotage” and called on him to “ditch Ed Miliband’s Net Zero fanaticism, which is forcing up bills and driving away industry.”
The intervention comes amid growing concern over job losses across the energy sector, including redundancies at Harbour Energy and the announced closure of the Grangemouth and Lindsey refineries.
Badenoch said the Conservatives’ “Cheap Power Plan” would cut electricity bills by 20% and prioritise energy security by backing domestic production.
Shadow Scottish Secretary Andrew Bowie said: “We need secure and cheap energy for years to come yet between the moratorium on new licences and the burdensome Net Zero mandates this industry is shedding jobs at alarming rates. This cannot continue.”
In response, a Labour spokesperson said: “Kemi Badenoch is doubling down on the same failed Tory energy policy that caused the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.”
They added that the Conservatives’ approach was “anti-growth, anti-jobs and anti-investment” and would “leave Britain reliant on insecure, expensive fossil fuels.”