WATCH: Alba Party Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP forces a UK Minister to admit that North Sea Oil is funding energy support for “every UK household”

Under questioning from Alba Party Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP a UK Minister has admitted that North Sea Oil is funding energy support for “every UK household”

A UK Government Minister’s admission that North Sea oil revenues are funding billions in cost of living support for “every household” has exposed the myth of Scotland being subsidised by the rest of the UK, says Alba Party’s Holyrood leader.

Appearing before a Holyrood committee, UK Energy Secretary Graham Stuart was grilled by Ash Regan MSP why record profits from Scotland’s oil and gas activity could not be used to prevent the closure of the Grangemouth Oil refinery.

In response, the UK Government Minister said:

“Of course the oil and gas industry is in Scotland, but it is part of one United Kingdom, of course it comes in tax receipts to the Government and has allowed the Government to subsidise Scottish and every other households' energy bills over the last few years."

Stuart added: “It totals about – the expectation is between 22 and 25 the cost of living support will be more than £104 billion.”

He made the comments as he appeared before MSPs on Holyrood’s Economy and Fair Work Committee.

Alba Party Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP said:

“Last year Scotland sent record oil and gas revenues to Westminster and tens of billions will continue to flow to the UK treasury for years to come.

“Our energy bounty is so vast that the Labour Party said previously they would use Scotland’s oil to fund a council tax freeze for every home in England.

“Now we have a Tory UK minister confirming to us that it has been the revenues from Scotland’s oil and gas that has been funding energy support for every single house across the entire UK.”

She added:

“The UK Government have let the cat out of the bag, it has always been a myth that Scotland is subsidised by the rest of the UK, in actual fact Westminster tanked the UK economy and caused a cost of living crisis and it’s Scotland’s natural resources that are being seized to subsidise the rest of the UK.”