A spell of good weather was particularly welcome during the recent parliamentary recess, as I took the opportunity to visit local businesses and communities.
I also join constituents in welcoming the long-awaited reduction in the energy price cap which kicks in in July.
The reduction of nearly £500 a year for a typical household will be a big help to families across Banff and Buchan.
This will also be the first time that the cap for those on prepayment meters will be the same as those who pay by direct debit, and so prepayment customers will see a slightly larger decrease in their bills.
And hopefully the warm weather continues meaning even greater savings on our heating bills.
But there is a greater threat to our energy bills, and our energy security than a cold spell.
Last weekend, we heard the Labour Party’s plans for the North Sea oil and gas industry if they get into Government.
Sir Keir Starmer pledged to stop all new North Sea oil and gas if he wins the next election.
Not only would this risk energy security, jobs and investment in existing north sea oil and gas, it also risks stalling the growing renewable sector which is reliant on the skills and capital from oil and gas companies to help drive the next energy boom for the area.
Labour have shown themselves as naïve and dangerous to our economy as the SNP and Greens in the Scottish Government.
Once again, this shows that only the Conservatives understand what is needed to deliver both energy security and the energy transition to net zero, while at the same time standing up for the industry, workers and communities it supports.
During recess, I visited Peterhead where I met fishermen concerned about another extremely damaging policy for our economy and communities here in the north east – yet another ill though out and poorly consulted Scottish Government policy of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
Neither I nor the fishing industry are against conservation and sustainability in principle – but marine protection measures such as these need to be implemented with the appropriate level of consideration, and certainly with a high degree of engagement with the fishing industry and coastal communities.
Whether it is Labour’s approach to shutting down oil and gas, or the SNP and Scottish Greens’ approach to fishing and farming – not to mention other poorly thought-out policies on gender reform and deposit return schemes and of course their own ‘presumption against new oil and gas’ – the importance of real engagement with and understanding of the industriesand communities impacted has repeatedly been underestimated.
Last weekend, I was delighted to attend the Fraserburgh Vintage Car Rally, and particularly honoured to have been invited to present the prizes – over fifty of them!
The rally, under the organisation of local businessman James Gray and his wife Catherine, has been going strong (apart from the two years during Covid-19 lockdown) since 1992.
Sadly, Mr and Mrs Gray have decided that this will be their last rally – but they are hopeful that someone else will want to take over the reins for future events.
Finally, I’d like to congratulate pupils at Fraserburgh Academy who were the only state school team in the UK to make the finals of The Ethics Cup debating competition, losing out only to the eventual winning finalists Reading School.
