‘Extreme’ Farage and Labour forcing oil and gas workers off cliff edge – Flynn

Scottish oil and gas workers are facing a “cliff edge” from Reform UK and Labour, Stephen Flynn has said.

The SNP Westminster leader said the “extreme” positions adopted by Nigel Farage and Sir Keir Starmer were a threat to the North Sea industry.

Speaking to the PA news agency as the SNP conference got under way in Aberdeen, Mr Flynn said Westminster was to blame for falling numbers of fossil fuel jobs.

It comes as a Future Economy Scotland report found Scotland had lost three oil and gas jobs for every one job created in the clean energy sector.

Mr Flynn, who represents Aberdeen South, claimed there was “no just transition” under UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

He said the UK Government was pushing workers off a “cliff edge” by “not offering opportunity in the North Sea basin”.

“I’ll tell you who is offering a cliff edge as well,” Mr Flynn added, “it’s Nigel Farage and Reform because what they are seeking to do is tell the public fibs.

“They’re saying that oil and gas will last forever, for 200 years.

“There’s nobody, nobody in this city who works in the industry who recognises that as a reality and that you can ‘drill baby drill’ for eternity.

“And in the meantime, what he’s saying is they’re going to scrap all offshore wind, all the carbon capture and storage, any form of renewable project whatsoever.

“So in 10, 15, 20 years’ time, maybe even sooner, our city will have a cliff edge forced upon it from which people will fall because there will be no jobs for them to go into.

“We need a transition that works for the workforce. The Labour Party are in the extreme. Reform are in the extreme.

“In the extreme, there is a middle way that protects the workforce, creates opportunity, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Mr Flynn added that people in the north east are “frustrated and angry” that “politicians at Whitehall are not listening”.

The MP also defended his ambition to become an MSP at Holyrood.

Mr Flynn said he would quit Westminster only if he becomes an MSP but said the voters in both seats were “predominantly the same people”.

He said: “It’s for them to cast their judgment on me and the work that I’ve been doing on their behalf, I like to think I’ve been doing OK on their behalf, but not enough.

“Now I want to take myself to Holyrood and try and do better for them, to make sure that we have a government which is delivering even more for them going forward.

“And if they put their faith in me, I’ll be very grateful.”

Asked if he would want to become a minister in a future SNP government, he said that was “a decision for the First Minister”.

And asked about any future ambitions to become his party’s leader, the SNP MP did not rule it out but said: “What comes in the future and how my thoughts are dominated on this issue is the fact I’ve got two young kids.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “Scotland is at the centre of our clean energy mission.

“We have taken rapid steps to deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers in a fair and prosperous transition, including investment in offshore wind and carbon capture, and helping oil and gas workers access clean energy jobs through our ‘skills passport’ and training programmes.

“This comes alongside the launch of Great British Energy in Aberdeen, which has already announced £1 billion in domestic supply chains, unlocking significant investment and helping to create thousands of skilled jobs, progressing our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.”

Reform UK has been approached for comment.