Meeting of the Parliament 11 November 2025
I will come on to policy, which is often overlooked but is absolutely crucial.
In addition, the recently published UK Government “Clean Energy Jobs Plan” has emerged. It is certainly ambitious, but the reality is that the energy profits levy is costing jobs and investment. Frankly, it is infuriating that, yet again, the north-east is likely to see further job losses—this time, at Port of Aberdeen, which has experienced a 25 per cent drop in oil and gas activity over the summer. Ports are a critical part of our infrastructure for delivering manufacturing growth, so I again call on the UK Government to urgently change course on that damaging levy.
The “Striking the Balance” report states:
“Based on current public commitments and announcements, the UK should be able to deliver the scenario 3 outcomes. Without intervention, however, it is likely to fall short of delivering the outcomes outlined in either scenario 1 or 2.”
That concern is also reflected in the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee’s report, “The future of Scotland’s oil and gas industry”.
I draw on the words of Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive at Port of Aberdeen. Earlier this week, he said:
“Supporting existing energy business is the most likely way of accelerating the transition, drawing on the expertise and project management skills to deliver the vast scale of potential developments in renewables.”
There is so much more to say. Again, I thank Liam Kerr for the debate.
16:47