Politicians ‘cannot deny realities’ of climate change says first minister

The first minister has called on the Scottish Parliament to get behind plans to develop carbon capture and storage in Scotland, following the end of oil refining at Grangemouth.

John Swinney said the “best thing” politicians could do to support the transition to net zero was help progress the Acorn site.

But Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused the Scottish Government of having “turned its back” on oil and gas, which he said had led to the closure of the Grangemouth refinery.

Petroineos ceased refining crude oil in Scotland this week. The closure will result in the loss of over 400 jobs as it moves to become an import hub.

Both the Scottish and UK governments have invested in Project Willow, which set out options for the site's future in a feasibility report earlier this year.

But concerns have been raised that those plans will take time to progress and therefore they do not address the immediate issue of job losses and uncertainty.

Raising the matter at First Minister’s Questions, Findlay said the "hostility" from both the SNP and Labour towards oil and gas was to blame.

But he added: “The greatest blame lies with the government that turned its back on Scotland’s world-leading and innovative oil and gas industry. If John Swinney doesn’t support business, how can he act surprised when businesses fail?”

He referred to the Greens as “dangerous fanatics” with whom Swinney had gone into government, and he warned the government’s position would ultimately cost jobs, increase energy bills and lead to an increase in importing fossil fuels.

The Tory leader also called on the government to reconsider its stance on nuclear power, saying the SNP was “blinded by ideology” and nuclear “makes sense”.

Swinney said his government was supporting Grangemouth’s workforce and, alongside the UK Government, was looking at “alternative business ideas” to develop the site’s future as part of the net zero push.

He accused the Conservatives of wanting to “deny the climate challenges that we face”, adding: “We cannot deny the realities of what we are facing as a society. What this government will do is support industry to transition to that reality.

“The best thing that we can, the best thing we can all do in this parliament, is argue for the approval of the Acorn carbon capture and storage project which the Conservatives refused to authorise when they were in office,” he said.

On nuclear, the FM said this would not reduce energy bills – pointing to the rising costs and delays associated with the Hinkley C power station in England.

Also during FMQs, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the Scottish Government of “fudging the numbers” on child and adolescent mental health services.

He said some children were “waiting not just months but years” for treatment, and even this was not a complete picture because “some health boards are counting initial assessments as treatment”. He also raised the issue of official figures not including those on ADHD and autism assessment waiting lists.

The first minister said CAMHS waiting times had fallen by 29 per cent and he denied the accusation of “fudging” the statistics.

He also argued that CAMHS was not always the most appropriate route, including for those with suspected neurodivergence but no other issues.