‘You’ve sold off Scot jobs, sold off Scot assets’ Anas Sawar pulls apart Sturgeon

Anas Sarwar hits out at Sturgeon over offshore wind plots

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Anas Sarwar lashed at Nicola Sturgeon for awarding offshore energy contracts to private, overseas firms. The ScotWind leasing process awarded contracts worth £700 million to 17 projects for new offshore wind farms along Scotland’s coasts, including deals with BP and Shell.

Mr Sarwar said: “I welcome inward investment but it shouldn’t come at a cost to the Scottish economy or our values. Let’s be clear about what has happened.”

He went on to furiously assert that the SNP Government “have sold on the cheap the right to profit from Scotland’s energy transition” to multinational companies with what he branded as “questionable human rights records”.

He slammed: “One of the new owners of Scotland’s sea bed were fined $54million for bribing Nigerian officials and $88million for bribing Indonesian officials.”

But the attack did not stop there, as he hammered: “Another one was found to have contributed to human rights abuses at one of its construction sites..

JUST IN Doomsday Clock tipped to move CLOSER to midnight as Boris sent warning

“Destroyed villages in Myanmar, relying on forced labour and using slavery to build pipe lines!”

Mr Sarwar added: “After 15 years isn’t this a case that an SNP Government has sold off Scottish jobs, sold off Scottish assets and has now sold off Scottish values.”

The First Minister replied: “I’m just sitting here reflecting almost unbelievably that Anas Sarwar has just accused me of behaving like a Tory.

“The day after his party threw open the doors to a Tory MP.

Nicola Sturgeon is 'living in cuckoo land' says Craig Hoy

“There is now so little difference between Labour and the Tories that the MPs are interchangeable.”

Ms Sturgeon’s comments were in reference to the defection of Bury South MP Christian Wakeford from the Conservatives to the Labour Party on Wednesday.

The area of seabed covered by the 17 wind projects is just over 7,000km2.

It is understood the projects have a combined potential generating capacity of 25GW.

DON’T MISS
When is Sue Gray’s report due? Boris on brink with ‘Red Wall’ rebels [ANALYSIS]
Boris Johnson timeline: Key moments in Prime Minister’s time in No10 [TIMELINE]
Tories facing Red Wall WIPE OUT as voters fume at PM [INSIGHT]

Scotland has 1.9GW of operational offshore wind, and another 8.4GW in construction or advanced development.

It is hoped the potential power generated from the projects could provide for the growing electrification of the Scottish economy.

Most of the sites are located on the east, north east or northern coast of Scotland.

One site is located off the west coast.

Source: Read Full Article