Lumsden says energy workers “caught between devil and deep blue sea” under SNP and Labour

The Scottish Conservatives have called on the Scottish and UK governments to stop being “aggressively anti-oil and gas” to avoid any further energy job losses in Aberdeen.

Renewables firm Xodus told workers it is making cuts to staff following a pre-tax loss of £917,000 in 2024 on turnover of £46.9 million.

North east region MSP Douglas Lumsden said workers in Aberdeen are “caught between the devil and the deep blue sea” because governments are cracking down on oil and gas without creating a route to work in the renewables “just transition”.

Mr Lumsden said:

“My sympathy is with the workers at Xodus. I hope anyone who faces redundancy will find work in one of the many excellent firms still in Aberdeen.

“Like many highly-skilled employees in Aberdeen they are stuck in an unwinnable situation. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

“On one side is the SNP’s so-called just transition that is yet to happen, where renewables are built overseas and expertise is not developed in Scotland.

“On the other, the Labour and SNP government are aggressively anti-oil and gas to the point it’s damaged investor confidence in the North Sea. Investment is what goes into decarbonisation alongside traditional fossil fuel extraction.

“Meanwhile we are importing the energy we need from abroad, with a much bigger carbon footprint and without the regulation our industry benefits from.”

Mr Lumsden, the party’s candidate in the Aberdeen South byelection on June 18, added:

“The Scottish Conservatives are calling on the SNP to ditch their ludicrous presumption against new oil and gas, and to back Jackdaw and Rosebank. Before any more energy firms have to cut jobs in Aberdeen.

“Labour must also end the energy profits levy and get back to drilling and maximising the use of our own resources.”