Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

North-east MPs to press ministers on oil plans

Former Aberdeen South MP Callum McCaig
Former Aberdeen South MP Callum McCaig

The north-east’s new SNP MPs have demanded an “urgent” meeting with the UK energy secretary to discuss ways to safeguard the oil and gas sector.

In a joint letter, three of the region’s newly-elected representatives have called for talks to discuss ways to improve “stability and prosperity” for the North Sea.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced in his post-election Cabinet reshuffle this week that Amber Rudd would become the new energy secretary, and that Andrea Leadsom would become his fifth energy minister in five years, with responsibility for oil and gas.

Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman, Aberdeen South MP Callum McCaig, and West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Stuart Donaldson have requested a meeting with Ms Rudd.

Mr Donaldson said: “The energy industry is vitally important for many of my constituents and I felt that seeking an early meeting was necessary.

“This week, the 16th oil minister in 18 years has been appointed. With the North Sea being a mature field, the industry needs stability to ensure future success.”

Mr McCaig said: “The UK Government did not act quickly enough when oil prices fell. We need to ensure ministers know the impact this has had on Aberdeen and will stress the importance of transparency and consultation with the industry in future decisions.”

“The Oil and Gas industry can have a bright future, but in order for that to happen we need an energy secretary who understands what is happening here in Aberdeen.”

Mrs Blackman said: “The previous Conservative coalition imposed a massive hike on the supplementary charge without warning the industry. We need to ensure that going forward there is open dialogue, and an open and transparent system.”