Tories set to force vote on new North Sea drilling during energy security debate

The Conservatives will today use a Commons debate on energy security to force a vote on new oil drilling in the North Sea.

In last week’s King’s Speech, the UK Government brought forward plans for an Energy Independence Bill which is expected to set out plans for moving away from fossil fuels while reaffirming Labour’s manifesto pledge not to award any new licences for oil and gas exploration.

The Tories have called the government’s position “deluded”, saying it will “wilfully shut down our oil and gas industry in the North Sea”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tweeted: “Only Labour could have an Energy Independence Bill that makes us MORE dependent on foreign oil and gas. Total nonsense.

“Banning new North Sea licences means fewer British jobs, weaker energy security and more imports. Only the Conservatives have a plan to get Britain drilling.”

The issue of energy security has once again come to the fore due to the recent oil price shock caused by the US-Israel war with Iran which has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

The SNP had previously been against any new drilling for oil and gas, but John Swinney has said his party now backs exploration if it can be shown to be “climate compatible”.

Speaking ahead of today’s debate, the party’s new Westminster leader, Dave Doogan, said jobs in the industry were being treated as “expendable” by the UK Government. He called for the government to scrap the Energy Profits Levy, a windfall tax.

He said: “The Labour government must scrap its punitive tax on Scotland’s energy, which has destroyed thousands of Scottish oil and gas jobs and put our energy security at risk.

“Westminster is treating Scottish oil and gas jobs as expendable. The Tories introduced this damaging tax, and the Labour Party has continued it. They must both take responsibility and apologise for taking a wrecking ball to Scottish jobs and our vital energy industry.”

Campaign group Uplift which opposes both the Rosebank oil field and the Jackdaw gas field, said new exploration licences would have “almost no impact” on the amount of gas needed to be imported, reducing dependency on imports by somewhere between one and five per cent a year.

It claimed that hundreds of licences awarded during the last Conservatives government had so far produced just 36 days of gas to date.