North-east Conservative MPs have piled pressure on Phillip Hammond to offer concrete help for the oil and gas industry in the Budget – warning him the “job is not yet done”.
The four-strong group spelled out the action they want taken in face-to-face talks with the Chancellor when he visited Aberdeen.
Ross Thomson, David Duguid, Colin Clark and Andrew Bowie told him the struggling sector should be his “top priority” north of the border when he unveils his fiscal package on November 22.
Mr Hammond used his trip to the Granite City to promise another £5million towards opening up under-exploited reserves.
But he signalled that a called-for tax reform to encourage small firms to invest in getting every last drop from late-life fields was unlikely to be on the table in time for the Budget.
Scottish Tories are keen to use the party’s strong performance north of the border in June’s general election as leverage to secure help from ministers for the country’s major industries, including the North Sea.
Mr Thomson said: “It was great to see the Chancellor up in Aberdeen to hear first-hand the views of oil and gas industry leaders here in the north-east. His announcement of an extra £5million to potentially find new deposits offshore is very welcome.
“But the job is not done yet. At a time when the SNP is turning its back on the north-east by winding up its energy jobs taskforce, additional support from the UK Government would be a huge boost to the sector.”
