THE FORMER Labour leader of Aberdeen City Council has quit the party over its plan to end new North Sea exploration.
Barney Crockett – who has led the local party twice and was council leader between 2012 and 2014 – left the Labour group yesterday after describing Sir Keir Starmer’s energy strategy as “more brutal” than anything Margaret Thatcher did to industrial communities in the 1980s.
Labour has confirmed it would not grant licences to explore new fields in the North Sea, a momentous shift for a sector which supports 200,000 UK jobs, including 90,000 in Scotland.
In an exclusive interview with Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Mr Crockett revealed that the party’s position on oil and gas – announced in Edinburgh on Monday – had been drawn up with no consultation with local party members.
“I have been left stunned and bemused by the events of the last few weeks,” he said.
“The Labour leadership has made crucial decisions about the future of the UK, decisions focused on this area, without contacting anyone from this area or from the local Labour party.”
Final straw
Business groups, including Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, have also criticised the Labour front bench for their lack of engagement with the North-east energy sector.
Offshore Energy UK’s chief executive David Whitehouse said Labour’s plans to move away from the reliance of North Sea oil and gas “would create a cliff edge” deterring investment and heightening the risk of energy shortages.
Mr Whitehouse said 180 of the North Sea’s 283 active oil and gas fields were due to close by 2030, and new licences were “essential” or production would “plummet” and “the UK and its skilled workforce will be exposed”.
Veteran councillor Mr Crockett, who also served as the city’s Lord Provost between 2017 and 2022, said this was the “final straw”.
“Margaret Thatcher never delivered a more brutal put down of an industry than that delivered by Keir Starmer in Edinburgh,” he said.
“Moreover, he avoided answering any direct question about Aberdeen. Rather, he deflected to Anas Sarwar who made no specific response about the city.”
Mr Crockett said that it was with great sadness he was resigning from the city Labour Group.
He added: “This was not done at all lightly. It had nothing to do with friends and close colleagues in the Labour group.
“No one has greater respect than I for all of what Labour has achieved for this city over the last one hundred and thirty years.
“However, I felt I could not in all conscience say what I believe about the wider situation whilst remaining in the group.
“This area needs to fight with vigour to have some control of its own destiny.”
Sir Keir is already facing a rebellion from party members in the North-east over his North Sea stance.
Labour councillors in Aberdeen are aiming to lodge a motion at the annual conference describing the policy as “economically illiterate”.
Tauqeer Malik, who earlier this month replaced Mr Crockett as the leader of the group in the city, said that the future of the offshore industry needed “much more strategic and careful planning” if a Labour government was elected.
“We have jobs and families to protect. We cannot just throw the baby out with the bath water,” he added.
Sir Keir confirmed on Monday that Labour would honour any licences in existence at the time of the next election, which must be held by January 2025. That is likely to include the controversial new Rosebank development west of Shetland.
