Our skilled people are the path to a homegrown net zero. We must listen to them.

An industrial strategy that delivers the economic growth that the UK desperately needs and supports highly skilled jobs, while delivering energy security and a homegrown energy transition will be a priority for who ever wins the next general election.

This is a message we have delivered to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Energy Secretary and to the First Minister of Scotland – and more recently to the Shadow Chancellor and Leader of the Opposition.

As CEO of Offshore Energies UK I have repeatedly told policy makers across the UK is that the energy transition will not happen without the people and skills of the existing offshore energy sector.

Last week in the House of Lords I gave evidence to the Select Committee for Energy and Climate Change – again, the message was clear: Support UK industry. Support our skilled people.

38,000 people work offshore in the UK North Sea, underpinned by 170,000 people working onshore in the Supply Chain across nearly every UK parliamentary constituency. All too often the contribution of the workforce is overlooked. These are good jobs, providing the UK with energy security as they have done for 5 decades, the very skills we need for the future.

With energy at the centre of the debate, the voice of workforce is critical. That is why last week I travelled offshore to the Kraken FPSO along side Steve Bowyer GM for EnQuest and GMB Trade Union leader Gary Smith and his colleague Claire Greer our sector’s regional representative in Scotland.

We mobilised for a day offshore, speaking to workers about their pride in their work and their vision for the future. A journey done day in day out by people that manage the national asset that is the North Sea – without fanfare or interest.

During the visit, GMB spoke about the role of trade unions and the wider need for industrial strategy with energy at the centre. We had an engaged conversation with the offshore team who care about what they do, and care about the future of the UK industry. Their message to all policy makers: listen more to working people and support us.

Trade unions and business are not always natural bed follows. But the shared ground between trade unions, employers and all of us working in the industry is that we all want to see the UK attracting investment and creating highly skilled jobs for our energy future. Without a credible voice on behalf of workers at the heart of policy and decision-making politicians can make the wrong calls and the workforce will feel the impact directly.

The plight of Port Talbot and recent announcements from Grangemouth highlight concerns about our industrial future. But the North Sea has 100s of potential Port Talbots - they are out of sight; they should not be out of mind.

If policy makers listen to the workforce and wider industry, then we have the potential to unlock ￡200bn of investment in the next decade.? We must deliver a homegrown energy transition the both protects existing jobs and creates new ones here in the UK, and delivers the economic growth that the country needs.

Thanks for the hospitality from Lee Emerson and Rod MacLeod and all the team on the Kraken FPSO.

The?transition?to?net?zero?must be done with people and communities, not done to them. I urge policy makers to get out and listen to working people, and act on what you hear.

To read more about how we unlock the opportunity: OEUK industry manifesto | Offshore Energies UK (OEUK)