Kate Forbes has been accused of "rewriting history" after she claimed the SNP had “never said no” to new oil and gas licences.

The comments, made during a campaign stop in Linlithgow, were seized on by political opponents who pointed to the Scottish Government's draft energy strategy which includes a presumption against new drilling.

 

Her party’s position on new exploration in the North Sea has been under scrutiny after John Swinney appeared to suggest over the weekend that that presumption could changed.

READ MORE: Swinney considers U turn on new oil and gas licences

He was quizzed over the comments during STV’s election debate on Monday.

Pressed on whether he would support the granting of new licences for oil and gas, Mr Swinney declined to give either a yes or no answer.

Instead, he said he wanted a "climate compatibility test on every single decision we take in relation to the oil and gas sector".

Asked if the SNP backed oil and gas licences, Ms Forbes said: “The SNP has never said no to further licensing, what they have said is that all further licensing must be compatible with a climate change test.

“My position is that it has to be a just transition.

“We have to remember that that requires justice to be at the heart not forgetting about the workers like Labour will, 100,000 jobs potentially at risk.

“And it needs to be a transition which means a process.

“The oil and gas industry are doing a huge amount of work themselves, investing their own profits in the transition to renewables.

“They have the talent, the skills, the infrastructure and the resources that we need to reinvest in the just transition.

“And that's why I think this is about a process, and the process has to be compatible with our climate change targets.

“But at the same time, it's not about switching taps off tomorrow, and neither is it putting 100,000 workers at risk.”

The final version of the Scottish Government’s energy strategy is already late. It was supposed to have been published in 2022. 

Ministers had promised to release it this summer, but it will not now come out until after the election. 

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: "Kate Forbes is taking North East voters for fools with this rewriting of history.

"The tens of thousands of oil and gas workers in the industry know the SNP have turned their backs on them.

"John Swinney was repeatedly asked whether his party would reverse their reckless opposition to new oil and gas licences during the STV leaders' debate - and he repeatedly refused to do so.

"Now his deputy has the brass neck to claim the SNP have always been on the industry's side.

"The Scottish Conservatives are the only party standing up for the oil and gas sector, while the SNP and others want to turn off the taps in the North Sea, putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk. And, in key seats up and down Scotland on July 4, only we can beat the SNP."

READ MORE: Unspun: SNP fuddle over North Sea is fraught with electoral danger

Labour’s shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “This is laughable from the Deputy First Minister and goes to show that the SNP is tying itself in knots to explain the mess it is in over the future of oil and gas.

“For months the SNP has said one thing to the North East and another to the rest of Scotland – now their hypocrisy and opportunism has caught up with them.

“For Kate Forbes to say that the SNP never argued against future oil and gas licences is just false – Humza Yousaf called new oil and gas ‘tantamount to climate change denial’ just months ago.

“It’s clear for all to see that John Swinney has been overruled by Westminster politician Stephen Flynn as they continue to put party before country.

“While the SNP position is all hot air, Scottish Labour is clear that oil and gas will remain vital for decades to come while Labour deliver the jobs and investment we need to transition to clean energy.”