GMB boss Gary Smith has spoken out in defence of North Sea oil and gas, insisting it is "not the enemy" and that we should be collaborating with Norway on a "North Sea Two".
In an interview with The New Statesman magazine, Smith warned Labour's position on banning new North Sea oil and gas licences would cost the party election success in Scotland.
He said: “People don’t get that energy is an emotional issue in Scotland. We went hundreds of miles out in this inhospitable sea and built this incredible, groundbreaking energy infrastructure."
He continued: “They will have to rethink it because the consequences in terms of energy prices, in terms of national security, in terms of the economy and jobs, are so profound.
"What we should be doing is taking a public stake in what is left of the oil and gas sector and using the profits for that sector, or part of them, to invest in a new green future.
"We should be talking about North Sea Two, how we’re going to collaborate with Norway – not just decarbonising the North Sea, but what comes next. Oil and gas is not the enemy: it’s actually the gateway to whatever comes next, and we’ve got to stop seeing it as a threat.”
Read the full interview on The New Statesman website.