Absolutely no new oil and gas fields, say Greens, as they launch manifesto

There should be “absolutely no new oil and gas fields” in the North Sea, the Scottish Greens have said, as the party launched its manifesto.

The comments come against the backdrop of rising fuel prices caused by the US-Israeli offensive in Iran and the disruption to the shipping of energy products in the Strait of Hormuz.

In response to the situation, politicians have pushed to ramp up domestic production and bring down reliance on foreign oil and gas imports.

John Swinney has dragged his party away from a scepticism over more drilling in Scotland’s waters, suggesting that the carbon impact of importing energy should be considered in the licensing of new fields.

The two positions could drive further space between the Scottish Greens and the SNP ahead of the May 7 election, further damaging any chances of a deal between the two parties to cement a pro-independence majority in Holyrood, though John Swinney’s party have shied away from any formal deals in recent months.

Addressing party members, co-leader Ross Greer said: “As you would expect, friends, this is a plan to tackle the climate crisis.

“It shouldn’t be the case that we are the only party publishing a manifesto compatible with the scientific reality of the crisis that we face, and yet we are.

“So we’re proud to say, the Scottish Greens are proud to be the only party in this election saying there can be absolutely no new oil and gas fields in the North Sea.”

Polling suggests the Greens are likely to gain seats on May 7, with the party’s leaders setting their sights on pursuing some quite radical changes, including bringing all of Scotland’s buses back into public ownership and making their use free.

Fellow co-leader Gillian Mackay told members: “It was the Scottish Greens who introduced free bus travel for everyone under 22.

“It was the Scottish Greens who scrapped peak rail fares.

“It was the Scottish Greens who ended school meal debt and increased taxes on the richest.

“And it was the Scottish Greens who took on the landlord lobby and introduced rent controls.

“We’ve done all of that with only seven MSPs – think of what we could do if there are 10 of us? Twelve of us? Fifteen of us? Or maybe even more.

“Every Green MSP, every one of these fantastic candidates joining us today will be a voice for change and for a fairer, greener and independent Scotland.”

The party also pledged improvements in funded childcare, including extending the offer of 1,140 hours per year to all two-year-olds in Scotland and 570 hours from six months to two years old.

Scottish Tory business spokesman Murdo Fraser described the party’s proposals as “bonkers”.

“They are going to clobber hard-working families and businesses with a whole host of new taxes at a time when bills are already going through the roof.

“These taxes will only help fund a bigger benefits bill that takes an even lighter-touch approach than the SNP are doing right now.

“On top of this they want to shut down our oil and gas industry overnight, which would put tens of thousands of Scots on the scrapheap.

“These are the extremists that John Swinney still refuses to rule out bringing back into government, purely because the Greens share his desire to break up the United Kingdom.”

Scottish Lib Dem deputy leader and campaign chairwoman Wendy Chamberlain said: “The Scottish Greens came very close to promising every voter a free puppy. There were so many freebies on show that it blew any hope of credibility.

“In government the Greens were responsible for wasting millions on a bottle deposit scheme that fell apart, cut £200m from the housing budget in the middle of a housing crisis and pushing plans for marine areas that would have cost coastal communities their livelihoods.

“Unless you want a repeat of the Green tail wagging the SNP dog you should vote for Scottish Liberal Democrats on your peach regional ballot.”

Scottish Labour finance spokesman Michael Marra also accused the Greens of “playing student politics” by “proposing to introduce a wide range of taxes that will hammer hard-working Scots”.

“This is not a serious or credible manifesto, demonstrated by Ross Greer defending his party’s decision not to fully cost it,” he said.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which has been assessing the manifesto commitments made by parties in Scotland, said it was “welcome” that the “substantial spending increases” proposed by the Greens were backed by ways to raise revenue, though proposed tax increases would likely need to be higher than proposed.

“At 165 pages, this is a big manifesto proposing huge changes to policy,” said the think tank’s head of devolved and local government finance, David Phillips.

“The Scottish Greens propose large increases in spending on families with children and substantial investment in public services and public transport.

“A combination of a large increase in property taxes and borrowing by councils would partly cover the cost of these ambitions.

“These tax plans would cement Scotland’s position as the highest-taxed part of the UK. Whether the expansion of the welfare state would make that worthwhile will be in the eye of the beholder.

“From a purely fiscal perspective, it is welcome to see a party that plans substantial spending increases combine it with a recognition that this would need higher revenues too.”