Nicola Sturgeon has claimed the SNP are “the first party to take the north-east of Scotland seriously” ahead of a visit to the region today.
The first minister, who will launch her party’s new business magazine in Aberdeen this afternoon, said her government had made “huge progress” in delivering “the increased level of investment the north-east needs”.
Rival parties have criticised the Nationalists’s record in the region, claiming they are not doing enough to help the North Sea oil and gas industry and support local businesses.
But Ms Sturgeon, whose party are riding high in the polls ahead of Thursday’s election, has defended the SNP’s record in the north-east.
She told the Press and Journal: “The SNP in government has made huge progress in the north east – we’ve been the first party to take this part of Scotland seriously, giving it the increased level of investment it needs.
“We’re spending £300million more every year on healthcare in Grampian and transforming local infrastructure with huge transport projects such as the £750million AWPR.
“I want to see Aberdeen prosper for years to come and continue to be at the forefront of business and enterprise.”
Ms Sturgeon said a key to ensuring the Granite City’s economic status was securing the future of the offshore sector, but also making “sure that we support Europe’s oil capital in becoming an international centre for innovation and a place which attracts new and diverse businesses”.
But Scottish Labour’s Willie Young has suggested Ms Sturgeon’s “ridiculous talk” about a possible second independence referendum is “damaging Aberdeen’s attempts to attract new businesses to the city as we aim to diversify our economy in the wake of the oil and gas crisis”.
Ms Sturgeon said yesterday that her views on a second referendum were “rooted in democracy” and a vote would only be contemplated if “(independence) becomes the preferred option of a majority”.
She added: “The best way to (see the region prosper) is to make sure the north-east has the infrastructure it needs for business and for growth and by doing more to ensure it remains an attractive place to live and work – bringing the right skills to the region.
“We have supported the economy through our substantial support for the Aberdeen City Deal and additional investment of £254million for infrastructure.
“The SNP will always argue for a more stable and predictable tax regime for the oil industry and have given employment support through the Energy Jobs Taskforce – with £12million in Transition Training funding to help oil workers retrain in other sectors, including renewables and teaching.
“But this support is only guaranteed to continue under an SNP government.
“There is no other party in this election who can match our ambition for the north-east or for Scotland and that’s why it’s so important to cast both votes for the SNP on Thursday.”
