Rachel Reeves has rejected claims from Robert Gordon University that a windfall tax is causing 1,000 job losses a month in the North Sea sector. The report, authored by Paul de Leeuw, blamed the fiscal regime, which includes the windfall tax on profits. Critics, including Stephen Flynn of the SNP, accused the Chancellor of ignoring expert evidence. Meanwhile, Offshore Energies UK’s David Whitehouse stressed the reality of job losses, attributing them to government policy decisions. Reeves denied the link on a visit to Scotland to announce a rescue package for the UK’s last ethylene plant at Grangemouth, owned by Ineos.
