SNP says UK must rule out use of Scottish revenue for English nuclear energy

The SNP has demanded the UK Labour Government rule out the use of revenue from Scotland’s oil and gas industry on English nuclear energy. The national party’s depute leader Keith Brown said that “every single penny” from the UK Government’s new energy wealth fund “should be spent on Scotland’s renewables future”. The new fund was announced alongside the approval of the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen earlier this week. The Labour Government said it is to be established by the Chancellor with a £2 billion downpayment to reinvest oil and gas revenues into the climate transition.

John Swinney has already urged Andy Burnham to ring-fence the new fund, which is derived from North Sea revenues, to support the renewables transition in the north-east of Scotland. The SNP are now urging Mr Burnham’s Government to ensure the money generated by Scottish oil and gas is not used to fund nuclear power in England. “Every single penny of revenue from our oil and gas industry should be invested in Scotland’s renewables future,” the SNP depute leader said.

“The one trillion pound question for the Labour UK Government is will they guarantee that or will we see our energy revenues pay for English nuclear power down south.” Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey is poised to unveil his Budget (Paul Reid/PA) PA Wire Mr Brown claimed that GB Energy was “gutted” to pay for nuclear projects in England. “This cannot happen again,” he said. Chancellor John Healey commented earlier this week that Britain could have built a sovereign wealth fund worth around £1 trillion if North Sea oil and gas revenues had been invested over the past 40 years.

Referring to Mr Healey’s comments, Mr Brown said the Chancellor is “talking about what Westminster could have banked from Scotland”. “Our resources were abused to pay for the worst excesses of Thatcherism and hidden to halt ambition of our people. “We cannot let history repeat itself which is exactly what Westminster is planning,” Mr Brown said. “Through a fresh start with independence, it is guaranteed that every pound from our waters is spent in Scotland.

That’s the bottom line and that’s why independence is the preferred choice of the Scottish people.” A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Energy Wealth Fund will benefit the whole of the UK.”