STEPHEN Flynn has hit out at Labour after the boss of GB Energy said the party's General Election pledge of 1000 jobs for Aberdeen could take 20 years.
In his first TV interview with Sky News on Monday, Juergen Maier confirmed that 200-300 Scottish jobs will be initially created and said 1000 was still the ambition albeit in the “very long term”.
Pressed on what “long term” is, he replied: "Look, we grow these companies, energy companies grow over 10 or 20 years, and we are going to be around in 20 years."
The energy boss also refused to put a date on when a separate Labour pledge to cut energy bills by £300 will be met.
Now, SNP Westminster leader Flynn has said it was "yet another broken promise” and challenged Keir Starmer to "come clean over why he is failing to deliver the promises he made at the election – and admit whether these pledges are being kicked into the long grass”.
The Aberdeen South MP warned the UK Government is "failing" to deliver the scale of investment needed to maximise Scotland's potential as a "renewable energy powerhouse".
“The Labour Party promised voters £300 off their energy bills, and 1000 new jobs in Aberdeen, but instead energy bills have gone up by £150 and job losses are rising across the UK thanks to the National Insurance tax hike,” he added.
“Scotland can be a renewable energy powerhouse, and reap the huge benefits of the green energy gold rush – but only if the UK Government delivers the investment needed, which it is currently failing to do."
Flynn went on: “There was no new investment for Scotland in the Chancellor’s plan for the economy - it was all centred on the south of England, which shows Scotland isn’t a priority for Westminster.
“Meanwhile, the Labour Government has cut £800 million in supercomputer investment from Edinburgh, failed to deliver the £1 billion Scotland was promised for Carbon Capture, and failed to fully replace the lost funding Scotland used to receive from the EU.
“Scotland was promised change but instead we’re getting more of the same Westminster failure.”
It was a message of concern echoed by First Minister John Swinney who said Labour is “hoodwinking” the public over promises to cut energy bills.
He told journalists on Monday: "I very much support the steps that have been taken by GB Energy, but I think the problem that we've got is that the Labour Party and the Labour Government promised something that GB Energy is not able to deliver, and they've been hoodwinking the public about this point."
He added: "People were promised lower fuel bills by the Labour Government and the Labour Government is not delivering them. And that's something which causes me enormous concern because in energy rich Scotland, why are we paying sky high fuel bills? Because people have been deceived by the Labour Party."
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman, meanwhile, said people in the North East of Scotland will not forget it if Labour’s GB Energy fails to deliver on the promised jobs
“Labour promised that GB Energy would finally cut energy bills while creating hundreds of new jobs in Aberdeen, but it’s looking increasingly likely that neither of these things will happen." she said.
“GB Energy looks like yet another Westminster white elephant that is designed by businessmen for businessmen. If it is not lowering bills or creating jobs then what will it do?
"Energy bills are too high and are stretching people to their limits. We must get away from a broken and destructive system that means sky high bills for households and families and chaos for our climate."
