Kate Forbes holds talks with Harbour Energy bosses over Aberdeen job cuts
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes today met with Harbour Energy bosses after the firm announced 250 job cuts in Aberdeen — blaming the UK Government's windfall tax.
The economy secretary held online talks with the company on Thursday, around 24 hours after the jobs blow was announced to staff.
Speaking at Holyrood on Thursday, First Minister John Swinney said he was 'deeply concerned' by the news as he criticised Labour's Energy Profits Levy.
It is understood an industry-wide ask was made during the meeting for Ms Forbes and other senior politicians to continue to raise the impact of the levy on North Sea firms.
She blasted the UK Government's 'ill-judged' decision which she warns has led to a 'cliff edge of job losses in Aberdeen'.
The move will see a quarter of Harbour Energy's Granite City onshore workforce axed and follows 350 job losses in 2023.
The firm said the decision comes mainly due to the UK government's 'ongoing punitive fiscal position and a challenging regulatory environment'.
It also highlighted ongoing uncertainty around UK government support for its Viking carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Humber.
The company is also an investor in the CCS Acorn project at St Fergus, near Peterhead, which is also still awaiting track-2 funding.
In November's budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the windfall tax on North Sea producers would increase from 35% to 38% and be extended by a year to March 2030.
Speaking during First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Mr Swinney said his thoughts were with employees facing an 'extraordinarily anxious time'.
But he entered into a heated exchange with North East Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden who accused the SNP government of 'turning its back on the north-east'.
Mr Lumsden said: 'We have a Labour government at Westminster determined to destroy the north-east and the oil and gas industry.
'But we also have an SNP government asleep at the wheel with no energy strategy, a presumption against new oil and gas and who are are selling out communities all over the north-east.'
Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government has 'made clear our concern' about the extension and the scale of the windfall tax.
He pointed out the levy was introduced by the former Conservative government.
The first minister added: 'One of the things I think would help with this enormously in this whole area of policy is for the current UK government to do something the last Conservative government didn't do and that's to commit urgently, swiftly to the Acorn CCS project.
'That would help us enormously but the Conservatives have never lifted a finger to make that happen. I hope Labour Party will not do the same.'
A UK government spokesman said on Thursday: 'Our thoughts are with any workers affected by this commercial decision, and we will do everything in our power to support workers and communities.
'The government has reformed the Energy Profits Levy to support investment and give industry certainty and stability.'
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