Sarwar: Labour energy plans will create 70,000 jobs in Scotland

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has claimed his party’s Green Prosperity Plan will create almost 70,000 jobs in Scotland.

The total is higher than the 50,000 posts UK Labour leader Keir Starmer said would be supported by the party’s proposed state-owned power player, GB Energy.

Writing in the Daily Record, Sarwar said the total includes “53,000 clean power jobs in industries like offshore wind, carbon capture, hydrogen and solar, all driven forward by a publicly-owned GB Energy company headquartered right here in Scotland”.

He said: “Our Warm Homes Plan will create another 16,000 jobs including plumbers and construction workers, as well as delivering warmer homes and lower bills for thousands of Scots.”

The pledge comes amidst criticism from rival parties over other Labour energy policies. The party has said it would increase the tax on energy companies’ profits and would not grant new North Sea oil and gas licences.

Rivals claim this would cost Scottish jobs.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: “Labour Party plans will put 100,000 energy jobs on the scrap heap and they’ve been absolutely clear that they’d use revenues from Scotland’s industry to fund new nuclear plants in England.”

Andrew Bowie of the Scottish Conservatives said: “Anas Sarwar can spin all he likes.

“Voters in the North East and across Scotland know that Labour’s plans will decimate our oil and gas sector and put tens of thousands of jobs at risk of being lost.