Prime Minister Keir Starmer ignores Highlands as Aberdeen gets GB Energy HQ and Lib Dems warn this could be ‘sign of things to come’ under Labour
The Highlands has been completely “passed over” by Labour after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Aberdeen as the base for GB Energy with two additional sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The Labour leader placed his faith elsewhere despite the Highlands being one of the UK’s main powerhouses for renewable energy – especially because of the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.
Now the state-owned energy company will help fund new and existing clean technology, and renewable energy projects will now be located more than 100 miles from the north renewables main base along with tens of thousands of jobs.
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He told the Labour Party conference: “I can confirm that the future of British energy will be powered as it has been for decades, by the talent and skills of the working people in the Granite City with GB Energy based in Aberdeen.”
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire MP Angus MacDonald described the development as “disappointing” that Aberdeen got the nod over Inverness as he questioned whether transport links were behind the decision.
He said: “It is so disappointing that Aberdeen has been chosen instead of Inverness as the HQ for GB Energy. No-one disputes that Inverness is becoming the epicentre for renewables, and Aberdeen has already had 50 years benefiting from the massive North Sea oil and gas bonanza.
“I wonder if the terrible transport links to the capital of the Highlands was in part responsible for us missing out.”
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone fears that this could be a “giveaway” about how the Labour government plans to deal with the Highlands in the future.
“This was a very disappointing announcement – and really, the Highlands have been passed over,” he said. “The Moray Firth and the Cromarty Firth in particular are going to be crucial as the renewable energy powerhouse of the UK.
“This is a very disappointing and backward-looking statement; it seems to completely disregard the fact that the Moray Firth and the Cromarty Firth will be the future of renewable energy generation.
“The decision to go for Aberdeen seems to be baffling when something far more innovative could be done – i.e. place the headquarters in the north of Scotland rather than the north east.
"What's more, the Cromarty Firth beat Aberdeen in the race to be one of Scotland’s two Green Freeports- making this decision quite illogical. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come in terms of Labour’s attitude to the Highlands.
He added: “I would invite a reconsideration from the UK government."
Despite previously calling for GB Energy to be based in the north, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said she is happy it is in Scotland and will now benefit workers in Aberdeen.
She said: “I’m very pleased that GB Energy is to be based in Scotland and that it will provide a just transition for the current workforce based out of Aberdeen which includes workers from across the Highlands and Islands.
“While it would have been nice to have a base centred in the Highlands and Islands, we have long worked well with the industry based in Aberdeen, and Highlanders and Islanders have historically strong links with both Glasgow and Edinburgh, which I am sure they will continue to develop and foster to the benefit of all Scots.”
