Sir Keir Starmer refused to say three times if the publicly-owned energy company he wants to create after the election will be based in Aberdeen.
The Labour leader put GB Energy at the centre of his party’s election campaign launch in Scotland during a visit to Glasgow on Friday.
Sir Keir and Scottish leader Anas Sarwar were greeted with rapturous applause from buoyant campaigners who believe their party is headed for a huge election win.
Optimistic MSPs and activists in attendance said it was the most positive and upbeat Labour campaign launch they have seen in years.
Sir Keir talked up his party’s energy policies during a speech intended to woo voters considering switching from the SNP when they cast their ballots.
He believes a publicly-owned energy firm would help families save money on sky-high bills and aid the shift away from oil and gas to renewables.
He has already committed to basing GB Energy in Scotland if his party wins the election on July 4.
But the Labour leader has been much more coy about exactly where the firm’s headquarters will be located.
Many see Aberdeen as a natural choice, given the city’s status as the energy capital of the UK.
Sir Keir was asked by The Press and Journal three times whether he would commit to choosing the north-east city .
He said: “Wherever I go in Scotland, that place will say, ‘will you base it here?’
“That’s a decision that’s yet to be made. It will absolutely be based in Scotland.”
Asked for a second time, the Labour leader said: “That’s a decision that’s yet to be made. It will absolutely be based in Scotland.
“We’ll make that decision, but obviously you can see the case in relation to Aberdeen.”
Asked again, he added: “We’ve said it’ll be based in Scotland. That’s a really big commitment, and an important one to me.”
Labour has said GB Energy will help create “thousands of good local jobs” once up and running.
That would be a major boost for Aberdeen given the ongoing shift away from fossil fuels and the uncertainty around what comes next.
Sources said in April they were quietly confident Sir Keir will set up the firm’s headquarters in Aberdeen.
At the time, they indicated the Labour chief would hold off until after the election before making any official announcement.
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, now his party’s shadow energy secretary, previously said Aberdeen has a “strong case”.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, an Aberdeen MP, claimed Labour’s GB Energy plans lack any substantial detail.
He said: “From Sir Keir Starmer to industry experts, nobody really has a clue what GB Energy is beyond a title.
“Any notion that basing an HQ in Scotland as something we should be grateful for is quite frankly an insult – why would it be based elsewhere given our resources?”
Aberdeenshire Scottish Tory MP Andrew Bowie claimed Sir Keir was showing “contempt” for Scotland by refusing to name Aberdeen.
Labour faced a major backlash over its energy policy earlier this year after vowing to extend and increase the oil and gas windfall tax.
The party also scrapped a £28 billion spending pledge for green jobs.
Speaking in Glasgow, Sir Keir defended Labour’s current blueprint for the industry and said he does not want to abandon oil and gas.
He said: “We’re not turning off the taps. Oil and gas will be going on for decades to come, so those jobs will be there for decades to come.”
“There will be additional jobs in energy, not less jobs in energy,” he added, while talking up GB Energy.
‘Scare story’
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar added: “The SNP and Stephen Flynn in particular is going to try and create a kind of scare story around this.
“The reason people are nervous about the transition is because they’ve heard 14 years of promises from the Tories and 17 years of promises from the SNP that have not been delivered.”
Sir Keir addressed a buoyant crowd of Labour politicians, candidates and activists in Glasgow to rapturous applause.
Polling indicates he is highly likely to oust Rishi Sunak from 10 Downing Street when voters go to the polls on July 4.
Sir Keir said Scotland will be “vital” to his party’s UK-wide success, even though some polls indicate Labour could be headed for a huge majority.
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