Defiant Amber Rudd yesterday made no apologies for taking more than a year to visit Europe’s energy capital – despite the city enduring its most challenging 12 months on record.
The UK energy secretary flew to the northern isles for the official opening of Total’s Shetland gas plant.
She took up her ministerial post on May 11, 2015 – but has yet to come to Aberdeen.
But she insisted: “I feel that what matters most to people is not who comes where, but what you’re actually doing to help people in jobs and businesses.
“The response I’ve had from people on that front, on really important outcomes, has been very positive.”
Her trip to Shetland follows Prime Minister David Cameron’s Aberdeen visit in January and UK Energy Minister Andrew Leadsom’s visit in August last year.
When asked if she could name any of the companies which have folded under the pressure of the oil downturn, Ms Rudd refused to answer.
And when quizzed on how many jobs had been lost in Aberdeen, she replied: “Too many – that’s why we’ve concentrated on our work cross-government.
“We have an inter-ministerial group to look at what else we can do to help people move into other areas where we can and that’s going to be published very soon.”
Ms Rudd revealed she had held talks with a number of banks to try to encourage investment.
She said: “They were very positive about it. The bankers said they were very grateful we were having this and I know the Oil and Gas Authority’s Andy Samuel followed up with some of them, so we’re about trying to listen to what they need as well as deliver what we think they need.”
She added: “I can be positive about the North Sea, whilst saying we recognise the changes taking place there and what we’re doing, like the seismic shooting, is trying to help the industry discover as much as possible.
“In terms of the long-term security, we hope that shale will be up and running soon so we can make sure we can increase our gas energy security through that route and that could be opportunities for employment as well.”
But Aberdeen South MP Callum McCaig accused Ms Rudd of managing her role by “remote control”.
He said: “I think it’s good that she’s finally here, but we’ve had an unprecedented year for oil and gas, and for her to have dealt with that completely and utterly by remote control I think is ridiculous.
“Oil and gas is vitally important to Scotland and the UK and you would expect the Energy Secretary to be here regularly to see what can be done to help the industry through.”
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