Aberdeen oil and gas leaders yesterday warned the UK Government not to take its “eye off the ball” during Brexit negotiations.
They said there was a risk the beleaguered industry would be gone in two or three years’ time if its problems are ignored after talks with the European Union (EU) start.
At a roundtable discussion with Scottish Secretary David Mundell in the Granite City, they also raised concerns about labour movement, industry regulations and access to the EU market post Brexit.
Mr Mundell said Westminster would take their concerns on board and that its commitment to supporting the sector was “undiminished” in the immediate term.
The Tory Cabinet minister met key oil and gas industry figures as part of preparations for talks over the UK’s withdrawal from the 28 nation bloc.
About 15 representatives from energy companies and trades bodies attended yesterday, including Paul Goodfellow of Shell, Steve Nicol of Wood Group PSN, Mike Tholen of Oil and Gas UK, and Neil Gordon of Subsea UK.
Mr Mundell said: “The message they have is − don’t take your eye off that ball. Brexit is very important to us and we want to make sure our interests and concerns are reflected. We don’t want to be in a position where there isn’t an industry in two or three years’ time, so that actually, you might have a perfect Brexit settlement, but we won’t be here to take advantage of it.”
Mr Mundell, Scotland’s only Tory MP, said the UK and Scottish governments had backed the industry through Budget measures, the Aberdeen city deal, and task forces in Scotland and London.
But he recognised more needed to be done to help the sector, which has been hit by numerous company closures and thousands of job losses.
On the subject of freedom of movement, he said the industry must have access to “the people it needs” to aid its recovery, but was unable to offer assurances.
“This is very much the listening stage where we are hearing the concerns that are being set out and are then feeding them into the negotiation process,” he said.
The Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP also said Brexit would create opportunities for companies.
Asked to provide a concrete example, Mr Mundell said Australia’s offer of a free trade deal showed there would be new openings for Aberdeen businesses to exploit.
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