Scottish Green co‑leader Gillian Mackay condemns rivals over North Sea drilling push

Scottish Green Party co‑leader Gillian Mackay accused the SNP, Labour, Conservatives and Reform Party of misleading voters by supporting new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. She argued that “new oil and gas fields will do nothing to lower bills and will only fast‑track the climate crisis.” Mackay highlighted BP’s first‑quarter profits, which more than doubled to £2.4 billion, and said the surge was driven by price spikes linked to “Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran.”

She called for the windfall tax on oil companies to be tightened to close loopholes, warning that without it “workers will be left on the economic scrapheap.” Mackay also urged a rapid transition to locally produced renewable energy to create long‑term jobs. Opposition figures responded: Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole‑Hamilton warned that oil and gas are still needed, while Conservative energy spokesman Douglas Lumsden defended the sector’s job base. Offshore Energies UK urged an “all‑energy” approach that combines fossil fuels with renewables.