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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under fire after claiming his ambition to “max out” oil and gas production in the North Sea will be “good for the climate”, the Herald reports. During a visit to Scotland, the Conservative leader confirmed his government will provide funding for a long-awaited carbon capture facility in Aberdeenshire, as well as push ahead with 100 new oil and gas licences.
The Daily Record brands the prime minister “power crazy” on its front page. It cites criticism from environmental group Friends of the Earth, which said Mr Sunak is “in denial” about the climate crisis.
The prime minister sought to “draw a clear dividing line” between his party, Labour and the SNP, according to the Times. His ministers are set to urge energy firms to invest record profits in new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, the paper says.
The Press and Journal reports Mr Sunak gave a “strong hint” he will support drilling at Rosebank, west of Shetland, which is the largest untapped oil field in UK waters. The paper says the comments have raised concerns among opposition politicians that the pro-fossil fuel approach will “drive away vital green investments”.
The prime minister’s announcement has sparked a backlash among senior Tories according to the i. It also says Friends of the Earth called the plans for the Aberdeenshire carbon capture project “green gloss”.
Mr Sunak says the new licences will help the UK “use the energy that we’ve got here at home because we’re going to need it for decades”, the Scottish Daily Express reports.
The Metro describes the Tory leader’s announcement as a gamble in a bid to “outflank” Labour on energy policy as he tries to win support ahead of the upcoming general election. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged previously to band new applications to drill in the North Sea.
Mr Sunak also confirmed a “radical” overhaul of alcohol duties during his visit to Scotland, including a more than 10% increase on whisky. The National reports concerns from the Scotch Whisky Association, which described the increase as a “hammer blow for distillers and consumers”.
The Scottish Daily Mail leads with Mr Sunak’s support for a Whitehall investigation into Scottish government spending on planning for independence. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case told a Westminster committee last month that it would be “worrying” if Holyrood civil servants are being asked to work on proposals to break up the UK.
The Scottish Sun reports that a mother killed in a car crash in Falkirk was “forced off the road” by a drug gang. Amy-Rose Wilson, 27, died and her partner Ryan Paterson, 22, was injured in the incident on Saturday, according to the paper.
The Scotsman leads with a report into a health board which has been forced to apologise after staff shared the information of patients through an unauthorised WhatsApp group. The Information Commissioner’s Office “has issued a reprimand” to NHS Lanarkshire, the paper says.
The Daily Telegraph focuses on a study which claims the coronavirus lockdown harmed “almost half of children”, citing youngsters being more worried and less confident. The paper also reports Nigel Farage is holding talks with Coutts to prevent his bank account from being closed.
During his visit to the north east, the prime minister also criticised the Scottish government over delays to work to upgrade the A9. Mr Sunak said Scots were being “let down” by their government at Holyrood, the Courier reports.
The Glasgow Times leads with a report on a man who has been jailed for three years for abducting, waterboarding and stabbing a woman. Christopher Hanratty, 30, carried out the attack at a property in Parkhead last year.
A pair of pensioners have been found guilty to historic child abuse, the Evening Telegraph reports. It says they violently attacked boys in the 1970s and 1980s.
Three teenagers have been arrested after a “barn blaze” in Inverurie, the Evening Express reports. Emergency crews tackled the fire for seven hours, the paper says.
Edinburgh City Council has come under fire for failing to fix a pothole which left a woman with a broken jaw and smashed teeth. The woman’s husband tells the Edinburgh Evening News that city officials have been “negligent”.
And the Daily Star features Mr Sunak in its lead story as the paper pokes fun at the prime minister’s clash with a BBC Radio Scotland presenter who confronted him about his decision to fly to Aberdeen for a green energy announcement.
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