THE Scottish Greens have accused Douglas Ross of being “environmentally destructive” after he voted against Wednesday’s motion to ban fracking.
His MPs David Duguid, Andrew Bowie, David Mundell and John Lamont all did the same.
Although the ban on the process was lifted in England by Jacob Rees-Mogg earlier this year, Scotland’s policy against fracking remains in place.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens told The National: “Allowing fracking in England is reckless, unsafe and totally unnecessary. We can’t frack our way out of the climate emergency.
“For Douglas Ross to vote for it isn’t just environmentally destructive, it’s also undemocratic.
“It wasn’t just a vote for fracking, it was also a vote to prop up Liz Truss and her cruel and incompetent government.”
In a chaotic night in the Commons, Wednesday night’s vote on fracking was originally intended to act as a de-facto confidence vote in the UK Government – a decision which has resulted in several conflicting reports.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously reiterated the Scottish Government’s opposition to allowing fracking in Scotland.
Douglas Ross one of Tory MPs to vote against Labour’s attempt to ban fracking pic.twitter.com/QBh4MKJp6N
— Paul Hutcheon (@paulhutcheon) October 19, 2022
Graham Leadbitter, SNP councillor for Elgin City South in Ross's Moray constituency, also disapproved of Ross's vote.
Leadbitter told The National: “While the majority of people in Scotland are backing a just transition away from oil and gas to renewables, with Moray being a major part of that renewables production and servicing offshore wind, it’s astounding that our MP is backing [the] growth of fossil fuels to the detriment of our environment.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss has previously said that fracking should only take place where there is support from local communities.
The Green Party spokesperson added: “One of the many good reasons for Scottish independence is that it will protect the people of England from the votes and whims of Douglas Ross.”
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “The Scottish Conservatives outlined our opposition to fracking in Scotland in our 2021 election manifesto and that remains our position.”
Ross has been approached for comment.
