1. Tens of thousands of people work in Scotland’s North Sea oil and gas sector. It raises billions of pounds to support public services and it is crucial for Scotland’s economy. However, this week, across the Atlantic in the United States, Humza Yousaf said that Scotland will no longer be

“the oil and gas capital of Europe”.

Why has the Scottish National Party turned sour on Scotland’s oil and gas?

We are committed to a just transition for the oil workers in the north-east. I want to pay tribute to the sector and the workforce for the more than £400 billion that they have generated for United Kingdom coffers; although, of course, much of that has been squandered. We are committed to a just transition because we know that the unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with Scotland’s ambitious climate obligations, and we have to ensure a planned and fair transition that leaves no one behind.

Douglas Ross is brave going on this subject in a week when his Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has not just pulled the rug from under the net zero ambitions of the UK but potentially damaged the net ambitions of Scotland. That does not just damage the environment; it damages jobs in the process. He should be ashamed to stand side by side with Rishi Sunak on that matter.

What a predictable response from the Deputy First Minister. The SNP loves to talk a good game but keeps missing its own climate change targets. The Deputy First Minister wants to pay tribute to oil and gas workers in the North Sea—[

Interruption

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Let us hear one another, please.

—and Humza Yousaf wants to take away their jobs. What we need is a sensible transition to create new energy jobs, but not by throwing away the current ones. It is not a choice between oil and renewables; we need to support both. That is why Humza Yousaf’s proposals are so reckless.

A recent report from the Robert Gordon University warned that a “rapid decline” in the oil and gas sector will cost tens of thousands of jobs, so why is the SNP backing a cliff-edge scenario in which skilled jobs will be lost for good?

It was just a year ago that Douglas Ross was urging us to follow Liz Truss over the cliff edge, in an economic catastrophe for our country. That same Douglas Ross now comes to the chamber wanting us to follow Rishi Sunak off the same cliff edge, by reneging and backsliding on net zero targets. It is no surprise that one of the first people out of the blocks to support Rishi Sunak was Liz Truss herself. That is the company that Douglas Ross keeps.

We are, of course, committed to a just transition for Scotland’s energy sector, and we only just missed our target by 1.2 percentage points, which shows that we are not far behind—[

Interruption

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The Presiding Officer:

Members! Deputy First Minister, if I might ask you to stop for a moment.

I am finding it difficult to hear. I think that members are being somewhat robust in their engagement with responses. I would be grateful if we could hear one another speak.

Thank you. I have never allowed a man to shout me down in my life, and I will not make an exception for Douglas Ross.

Our targets are world leading. That is why the First Minister is in New York for the United Nations climate change week. We are world leading and our First Minister’s ambitions are to meet the net zero targets. He shows leadership—unlike the Prime Minister, who is ditching the net zero targets.

If Douglas Ross does not want to listen to me on that, all he needs to do is listen to the condemnation from industry, business and, indeed, Tory MPs themselves.

Let us go through a few of those points. The Deputy First Minister says that the SNP Government’s targets are “world leading”, but it is not meeting them. In eight of the past 12 years, it has failed to meet its own world-leading targets.

Let us listen to industry. Jaguar Land Rover said that the Prime Minister’s plan was

“pragmatic and brings the UK in line with other nations, which we welcome”.

However, this is about what is best not just for our economy but for our environment. Industry experts have found that new fields at Cambo and Rosebank would save 17 million tonnes of CO₂ compared to foreign imports. More production in Scotland is cheaper and greener, and it protects jobs.

However, Humza Yousaf no longer wants Scotland to be Europe’s capital in oil and gas, and he is against the UK Government’s granting of new North Sea licences. Why would we not use our energy, from our doorstep, instead of costly foreign imports?

We have been very clear about the analysis of any new licences and the climate targets that they have to meet, which have to be robust. Of course, it is not us who will grant new licences. However, the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy have been very clear about those climate compatibility tests.

Let us get back to the nub of the issue. Douglas Ross talked about our net zero targets. The changes and announcements that have been made by Rishi Sunak make it harder for us to achieve those targets. That is bad for the environment and for business.

Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK, said:

“Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.”

The former Siemens UK chief executive officer, Jürgen Maier, said:

“It’s just chaos, isn’t it? It beggars belief ... Everybody is now sitting and wobbling and wondering. And I tell you what, they won’t be investing in the UK. It’s a disaster for productivity. It’s a disaster for jobs, well-paid jobs. And it’s a disaster for business confidence and investment – and we need exactly the opposite”.

When is Douglas Ross going to grow a backbone and support the net zero targets rather than his Prime Minister?

We could trade quotations all day. I quote Toyota, which said:

“The government announcement is welcome as it provides the clarity the industry has been asking for and recognises that all low-emission and affordable technologies can have a role to play in a pragmatic vehicle transition.”

Of course, we had—[

Interruption

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The Presiding Officer:

Mr Ross, please give me a moment.

Mr Robertson, I ask you, please, to remain silent when we are trying to hear Mr Ross’s response.

Angus Robertson’s shouting did not put me off when I beat him in 2017, and it does not put me off now.

It was quite something for Shona Robison to blame yesterday’s announcement by the Prime Minister for the SNP’s failing to meet its targets in eight out of the past 12 years.

Let us go back to where it all began. The SNP slogan used to be, “It’s Scotland’s oil”; now, it is “Just stop oil.” Humza Yousaf flew to New York—the finance capital of the world—to tell people not to invest in our oil and gas sector. The First Minister of Scotland is talking Scotland down. It is a slap in the face to north-east workers; it is naive, because we still rely on oil and gas; and it would be a hammer blow to Scotland’s economy. Why is the SNP giving up on Scotland’s crucial oil and gas sector?

No one is giving up on Scotland’s oil, but it has been squandered by successive UK Governments of all political colours. As I said at the beginning of my answer, we absolutely respect and appreciate the efforts by the oil and gas sector and its workforce, and we support a just transition. We have put serious money into making that happen, unlike the UK Tory Government.

Listen to what the oil and gas industry is saying. Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive officer of Energy UK said:

“Sudden changes to policies and targets like this are damaging to the very investment we need to fund the move towards Net Zero and jeopardise the economic benefits and opportunities this transformation could bring in terms of jobs, growth and greater prosperity to all parts of the country.

Businesses need certainty and stability when making long-term investments worth billions of pounds”.

The announcements by Rishi Sunak undermine all of that, not only for the UK but for Scotland, and Douglas Ross’s standing shoulder to shoulder with Rishi Sunak will not be forgiven by the people of Scotland.