Ed Miliband urged to visit Aberdeen after being accused of 'pushing oil industry into extinction'

Energy has taken centre stage at the by-election, which was triggered when former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn took a seat in Holyrood.

Mr Lumsden’s letter to Mr Miliband comes after energy firms EnerMech and Xodus Group announced in recent weeks plans to cut jobs in the north-east city, dubbed the oil and gas capital of Europe.

He said: “Your decision in the King’s Speech not to reverse the ban on licences for new oil and gas field exploration could be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses, and with it Aberdeen’s economy.

“Banning licences doesn’t reduce demand, it only increases our reliance on imports, threatens jobs and pushes up prices even further.

“It’s therefore ludicrous why you would lift your ban on UK imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil, yet ban extraction from our own waters?

“At a time when our energy security is in a state of national emergency from the conflict in the Middle East, I cannot fathom why you would want to prioritise foreign jobs and imports over UK jobs and production.”

He added: “I believe it has been more than 18 months since you last visited Aberdeen, which is why I extend a formal invitation to you to come to the city to see the devastation that is being caused for yourself.

“You will be able to speak directly with workers, companies and community representatives to see the realities and struggles of life in Aberdeen at the moment.

“The people of this great city deserve to be seen, heard and understood.”

However, SNP candidate Richard Thomson took aim at the Tories, Labour and Reform over the energy debate in Aberdeen South.

Mr Thomson said: “Whether it is the Tories, Labour or Reform they are all part of the same Westminster cabal that wants to see our revenues syphoned off to fund the UK Treasury – they couldn’t care less about Aberdeen South.

“Only the SNP will put Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands to enrich the people of Scotland, not the Westminster establishment.

“The Tories introduced the hated windfall tax that is destroying 1,000 jobs in our energy sector and only the SNP can send them and Farage packing on June 18 in Aberdeen South.”

The letter comes after a trade union leader branded Labour’s ban on new North Sea licences “economic madness”.

A copy of the letter sent to Ed Miliband

X/DOUGLAS LUMSDEN

General secretary of the GMB, Gary Smith, said that the Government’s energy policy was driving union members into the arms of Reform.

He told Times Radio: “Sacking thousands of workers who currently work in the North Sea is economic madness. It’s more akin to Thatcher and what she did to Middlesbrough in the 1980s.”

A recent poll found that union members were as likely to support Mr Farage’s party as they were Labour.

Mr Smith said Reform was “no friend of organised labour and people in the GMB”.

First Minister John Swinney with Richard Thomson (right, front row) SNP candidate for the Aberdeen South by election and Jack Middleton

PA

However, he said: “One of the issues that does drive our members to Reform is the current energy policy. Because it is closing factories, it’s hitting investment and it’s hitting jobs.”

A spokesman for the UK Government said: “Issuing new licences to explore new fields cannot give us energy security and will not take a penny off bills.

“The lesson of yet another fossil fuel crisis is the UK needs to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and onto clean homegrown power we control.

“This will protect jobs now and create the next generation of skilled jobs, including over 40,000 new clean energy roles in Scotland by 2030.”