Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has urged voters to back his party in a Westminster by-election to prevent an “SNP patsy” winning.
Mr Findlay visited Aberdeen on Friday, just 24 hours after former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn resigned his Aberdeen South seat following his election to Holyrood.
The Scottish Tories are confident of a win and are understood to be prepared to throw substantial resources at the race, with MSP Douglas Lumsden seeking the party’s nomination.
The Tories have pointed to their performance in the Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine seat eventually won by Mr Flynn, where Liam Kerr came second by about 1,200 votes, as evidence they could grab the seat from the SNP.
This is why we need a strong MP down in Westminster making the case for the oil and gas industry, because I think it's a critical time for the city
Speaking to the Press Association following a visit to AJT Engineering in Aberdeen, Mr Findlay said: “I’m here today because we want to win this by-election.
“It’s a straight fight between the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives.
“If you want a pro-oil and gas MP representing this area in the House of Commons, or if you want an SNP patsy who won’t speak up for the industry – that’s the clear choice.
“That’s why I’m here today, to declare our intent to fight this seat as hard as we possibly can.”
The Tories will look to turn the by-election into a referendum on oil and gas, with Mr Findlay and UK leader Kemi Badenoch seeking to champion the sector which provides thousands of jobs in the north east of Scotland.
Mr Lumsden stressed the importance of oil and gas to his campaign.
“I’m fed up driving around Aberdeen and seeing what’s happening to the city,” he said.
“A lot of that is down to SNP and Labour policies.
“We have a Labour Government in Westminster that have no new licences, they’re against drilling completely it seems to be now.”You’ve got the Scottish Government in Holyrood, they’ve also got a presumption against new oil and gas.
“This is why we need a strong MP down in Westminster, making the case for the oil and gas industry, because I think it’s a critical time for the city, and that’s why I think I will be that strong voice at Westminster.”
The Scottish Government under Nicola Sturgeon published a draft energy strategy which included a presumption against new oil and gas exploration, but the document – and the Government’s position – have not been finalised.
Jack Middleton, the SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, said: “It is Scotland’s energy and it should be in Scotland’s hands.
“The Tories implemented the catastrophic windfall tax on Scotland’s energy and failed to invest in our industry for decades as it syphoned off more than £350 billion from our North Sea.
“The north east has been betrayed by Westminster as oil and gas workers have been cast on the scrapheap by the Tories and the Labour Party.
“The energy profits levy must end now and be replaced with an oil and gas price mechanism to stabilise workers’ futures.
“Scotland is energy rich yet we pay the highest energy bills in Europe while 1,000 jobs are being lost in our premier industry every month.”