Scottish Labour MSP Rhoda Grant and Moray candidate David Blair have sharply criticised the Scottish Government’s record on energy transition, claiming North Sea workers in the Highlands and Islands are being left without a credible plan for the future.
Their intervention comes ahead of the publication of the latest report from the Just Transition Commission, which advises ministers on energy policy and has previously warned that progress towards a fair transition for workers has fallen short.
Rhoda Grant MSP for the Highlands and Islands said the gap between government rhetoric and industrial reality is widening, pointing to the ScotWind leasing round, funding pressures at UHI Moray and what she described as the absence of a detailed industrial strategy after 19 years of SNP administration.
“The SNP’s version of a ‘Just Transition’ is proving to be ‘just’ in name only.
“For nearly two decades, they have sat in Holyrood while our offshore expertise is exported, and our supply chains are hollowed out.
“They have traded a solid industrial base for vague promises, leaving workers in the North of Scotland to wonder where their future lies.”
The ScotWind leasing round was highlighted as a missed opportunity to secure stronger domestic supply chain commitments and long-term economic benefit for Scottish communities.
David Blair described the auction as a “golden opportunity wasted”.
“The SNP squandered potentially billions of pounds in the ScotWind auction, then raided £300 million from the money they did raise just to plug holes in their own daily budget.
“That money was meant for the future of our industry, for the ports, the infrastructure, and the jobs of tomorrow.
“Instead, they’ve wasted a golden opportunity to support North Sea workers.”
Both figures also raised concerns about funding pressures facing UHI Moray, arguing that cuts undermine efforts to train engineers and technicians needed for renewable energy projects.
Blair said:
“You cannot build a renewables revolution if you are cutting the colleges where the workers are trained.
“The SNP’s cuts to UHI in Moray and across the Highlands are a direct assault on the aspirations of young people who wish to train and work here.
“We are seeing a managed decline of our skills base at the very moment we need to be scaling up.”
Scottish Labour says it would pursue greater public and community ownership of energy projects, reform offshore leasing arrangements and increase investment in further education.
Rhoda Grant concluded:
“While the SNP manages decline, Scottish Labour will manage growth.
“We will put the power back in the hands of the community, invest in our colleges, and ensure that the Highlands and Islands region becomes the engine room of the UK’s green energy future not just a playground for overseas investors.”
