John Swinney and the leaders of Labour and Tories are going head to head today in Aberdeen as north-east jobs and industry take centre stage in the general election.
The three leaders meet in the Granite City on the same day as embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to bang the drum for further oil and gas exploration during a visit to Scotland.
The focus on energy underlines why the north-east has become such a highly-prized target for political parties desperate to get ahead in the polls.
Claims have been made throughout the campaign that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk.
Taxes have become a major flashpoint, and the long-promised transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy is still uncertain.
© Supplied by Stuart Wallace/ShuttIn Aberdeen, the debate will include an audience of industry leaders keen for straight answers to tough questions.
“We are assembling an audience of industry experts who all want to hear how Scotland’s three biggest parties will deliver the energy transition,” said Ryan Crichton, policy director with organisers Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
“This evening these plans will be subjected to scrutiny from business leaders who really understand the challenges.”
Douglas Ross in tight north-east contest
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, joining today’s debate, is in the fight for his political survival in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, where the SNP hope to spring a surprise on July 4.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, also taking part today, has his sights on a Labour revival in Aberdeen – including the constituency being contested by the SNP’s Westminster boss Stephen Flynn.
© Jane Barlow/PA WireThe chamber of commerce hopes today’s debate will make clear to whoever wins the election that time is running out.
The group thinks the party in government after the election will have 100 days to restore confidence of risk losing investment worth £30 billion.
Before the face-off in Aberdeen, Mr Swinney will be campaigning in Montrose and making a speech at a separate venue in Aberdeen on what he sees as the devastating impact of Brexit.
Rishi Sunak in Scotland
At the same time, the prime minister will help promote Mr Ross’s Scottish Tory manifesto.
It will commit to annual oil and gas licensing rounds as well as laying groundwork for new nuclear in Scotland, despite Scottish Government opposition.
During the manifesto event in Edinburgh, Mr Sunak is expected to target Labour’s plans, saying: “They would rather virtue signal to eco zealots than protect jobs here at home.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is also in Scotland today to visit a clean energy project with Mr Sarwar.
Ian Murray, Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: “Rishi Sunak has a brass neck and the Tories have zero credibility talking about jobs after they gambled with the economy and sent people’s mortgages soaring.”
Recommended for you
