A Conservative MSP has branded GB Energy a “sham” with the Prime Minister “taking my constituents for fools”, amid fierce exchanges at Holyrood over the new energy investment company.
Scottish Labour’s energy spokeswoman Sarah Boyack hit back, branding the comments from Douglas Lumsden “utterly negative and inaccurate”.
GB Energy was set up by the Labour Government as a publicly owned energy company, with headquarters in Aberdeen, which will invest in renewables infrastructure.
On Monday, GB Energy’s boss, Juergen Maier, said in an interview with Sky News it could take as long as 20 years to meet the pledge to employ 1,000 people, and could not give a date for when bills will begin to fall.
On Thursday, Holyrood passed a legislative consent motion for the Great British Energy Bill, which allows Westminster to legislate in areas which are normally devolved – with 88 MSPs in favour and 28 opposed.
SNP ministers backed the motion after discussions with their UK counterparts in recent weeks who amended the legislation.
The change means the UK Government must seek the “consent” of Scottish ministers before including devolved issues in a “statement of strategic priorities”.
Mr Lumsden, the Tories’ energy spokesman at Holyrood, said during the preceding debate: “GB Energy is a sham. The Prime Minister is taking my constituents for fools.
“The structure of GB Energy is absurd and the promise of 1,000 jobs – it will take 20 years to deliver.”
Mr Lumsden said this would be “20 years of pain and decline for the north east of Scotland, tens of thousands of jobs lost as Labour shuts down the oil and gas sector”.
He said the new energy company will make no difference to the 30 gigawatts worth of planned offshore wind projects, while also accusing Labour and the SNP of “carpet bombing” Scotland with electricity pylons.
Mr Lumsden said more oil should be extracted instead, branding opponents “economically illiterate socialists” and “extremist, unhinged Greens”.
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone stepped in to remind MSPs to “strive to be courteous and respectful”.
Ms Boyack said the SNP’s acting energy secretary had made constructive points.
She said: “I have to say, Douglas Lumsden’s utterly negative and inaccurate speech has not helped the work that we need to do in political parties across this chamber.”
She praised the dialogue between the Scottish and UK governments on creating GB Energy.
Pressed on when jobs would be created, she said the election had only taken place in July and investments in renewables are already taking place.
She said there has been “important progress” on renewables and GB Energy is “essential” for the UK.
