Question
Having met apprentices and engineers at Hunterston, including many from my own constituency of Kilmarnock and Loudoun, I have seen at first hand the world-class nuclear talent that we have in Scotland. Does the Secretary of State agree that the SNP’s continued opposition to nuclear energy not only weakens our energy security but risks driving our skilled young Scots to seek opportunities south of the border, when Scotland should be creating those opportunities to keep them, their futures and their careers in Scotland?
Answer
I can answer with real feeling, having visited the Torness nuclear power plant in my own constituency last week and met a group of young apprentices. Those are brilliantly skilled jobs and talented young people, yet because of the policy of the Scottish National party in Edinburgh, we are forgoing millions of pounds of investment, energy security, and good, well-paid, unionised jobs for decades to come.25% point-scoring 50% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (55/100)
The reply gives a clear, direct answer to the first part of the question, attributing lost energy security to SNP policy. It only partly answers the second part: it praises young apprentices at Torness and says SNP policy forgoes well-paid jobs, but it never addresses the claim that opposition is driving young skilled Scots south of the border. Because the migration point is left unanswered and the wider response is somewhat general, the person who asked would probably need to ask again for specifics on that point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Secretary of State agrees that the SNP's continued opposition to nuclear energy weakens energy security. | Addressed | Direct | Statement 4 directly attributes lost energy security to the SNP's policy, which restates and affirms the item's claim that SNP opposition weakens energy security, and it does so with a concrete framing rather than a gesture. |
| Whether the Secretary of State agrees that the SNP's continued opposition to nuclear energy risks driving skilled young Scots to seek opportunities south of the border. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply praises young skilled apprentices at Torness and says SNP policy forgoes well-paid jobs, which touches on skilled young Scots, but it never addresses the specific claim that opposition drives them south of the border, so the migration point is left unanswered. |