Rudd joins former Ministers in plea to back energy industry
FORMER HOME Secretary Amber Rudd is among five former Ministers from across the UK who signed a pledge calling for support from the UK and Scottish governments for the oil and gas industry.
The cross-party group signed the declaration in Aberdeen, stressing the importance of the industry to the push for net zero.
The UK Government has set a target of reaching net zero by 2050, while the Scottish Government hopes to do so by 2045. Along with Ms Rudd – who served in the governments of Theresa May and David Cameron – are Lib Dem MP and former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael, former Energy Ministers Brian Wilson and Charles Hendry and former Scottish Energy Minister and current SNP MSP Fergus Ewing.
The former home secretary was appointed earlier to a position on the board of Centrica – the owner of British Gas – which has interests in the oil and gas sector.
In signing the document, the group declares “our oil and gas sector developed since the 1970s, and its businesses, workforce and infrastructure (the re-purposing of which greatly facilitates a number of the carbon storage projects) are of world class and constitute a huge asset to these islands.”
It added: “The sector deserves the full support of all Governments in the UK as an essential contributor to the achievement of net zero targets.” The declaration goes on to say that the skills in the oil and gas sector will be needed to aid the creation of cleaner energy, as well as pushing for an increase in carbon capture technology.
Along with the declaration, the five also pressed the UK and Scottish Governments to act.
“The Scottish Government in its forthcoming energy strategy support our oil and gas sector to provide a global lead to the process of decarbonisation of their operations, and recognise its continued success as an essential prerequisite of achieving net zero emission targets, for the reasons set out above,” they said. “Thus, providing full support to the sector for its continued operations over the duration of the just transition in line with the North Sea Transition Deal, with emissions to be halved by 2030.”
They urged the UK Government to “accelerate its efforts to promote carbon capture and storage”.
The sector deserves the full support of all Governments in the UK. Statement from five former Ministers from across the UK who signed yesterday’s pledge.