Leaving oil in the ground an ‘act of national self-harm', says Findlay
It would be a 'complete act of national self-harm' not to continue drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said.
Speaking as his party's conference got under way in Edinburgh, Russell Findlay said Scotland should use its own oil, rather than relying on foreign imports.
He also continued his attacks on the Scottish Government's target to reach net zero by 2045, describing the goal as 'completely unrealistic'.
UK Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to tell the Scottish conference on Friday that the windfall tax on oil and gas companies, and the ban on new licences in the North Sea, should be scrapped.
Appearing on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Findlay said Scots will need oil and gas 'for decades to come'.
He said: 'We are the party who completely support the North Sea oil and gas industry.
'The SNP in Edinburgh are completely hostile to any form of new exploration, and it's exactly the same with Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband in London.
'They want to leave this oil and gas in the North Sea and import oil and gas from further afield. It makes absolutely no sense.'
He warned it would be a mistake not to drill for more oil in Scotland.
'We, as a country, are going to need oil and gas for decades.
'The SNP's net zero target of 2045 is completely unrealistic on the basis of what we know the cost that it will inflict on the paying public.
'Even if net zero is achieved within a timescale, any kind of timescale like that, we're still going to need that oil and gas.
'It's a complete act of national self-harm to leave this natural resource in the ground and then just rely on foreign imports.'
Mr Findlay said there should be a 'mix' of energy production in Scotland, including nuclear energy – something opposed by the Scottish Government.
In her keynote speech to the conference at Murrayfield, Ms Badenoch will accuse the UK Government of 'killing' the North Sea oil and gas sector.
She will say the current windfall tax on energy firms – first introduced by the last Conservative government and extended by Labour – would mean that by 2030, there would be no oil and gas industry to tax.'We must scrap the ban on new licences,' she will say.
'We must overturn the ban on supporting oil and gas technology exports.
'And we must champion our own industry.'
Dame Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of Scottish Labour, said the Tories are on the side of oil and gas companies 'rather than working Scots'.
She added: 'With Kemi Badenoch desperately attempting to rally the few remaining Scottish Tories, it seems like it won't be long until they can fit all of their MSPs in a single taxi.'
The SNP has been approached for comment.
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