LABOUR activists in Aberdeen have hit out after Anas Sarwar put a windfall tax on energy giants at the heart of the party’s manifesto for next month’s local elections.

One senior party source told The Herald, that the leadership should be “concentrating on matters that Labour councils like Aberdeen have direct control over”.

They also criticised the leader for taking the position “without any involvement” from candidates in the North East. 

Mr Sarwar launched his party’s manifesto yesterday, saying the May vote would be a “cost-of-living election”.

The windfall tax would, the party say, reduce household bills by up to £600.

“Oil and gas giants are making £44,000 a minute,” Mr Sarwar told an audience of supporters in New Lanark's Institute for the Formation of Character.

“You’ve got directors of these companies saying, ‘we are making more money than we know what to do with it’.

"Right now, millions of pounds are waiting in shareholders’ bank accounts in dividends, and at the same time, people’s energy bills have gone up, petrol prices have gone up, and the food shop’s more expensive than ever.

“That’s why we will introduce a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants and put that money directly into people’s pockets.”

An Aberdeen Labour source said Mr Sarwar was right to be talking about the cost of living crisis but was going about it the "wrong way." 

“I can tell you from speaking to voters in Aberdeen that Labour’s position on the Cambo oil field and the proposed windfall tax on oil and gas is not one that is winning the hearts and minds of voters in this council election. 

“Anas’s position on oil and gas has been taken without any involvement with the local party in Aberdeen which is disappointing given that each and every day the Labour-led council works closely with the energy sector to fulfil its obligations under the Aberdeen City Region Deal which is about investing in new technology to help the energy sector meet its net-zero obligations.”

Speaking to journalists after the manifesto launch, Mr Sarwar said he’d expect all of his council candidates to back the manifesto, though he recognised the call for a windfall tax on oil and gas profits could make canvassing difficult in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. 

“I can understand the sensitivity around campaigning in the North East. And I think it's really important to say we're not saying stop making investments.” 

He added: “We're saying it's a one-off windfall tax on profits that have already been made and money that is currently scheduled to go into people's bank accounts rather than go into investments and therefore let’s have that windfall tax to put money directly into people's pockets.”

Asked if he had spoken to the party in the North East about the position, he said: “Well, it's a UK wide position as well as a Scottish position. We've obviously had conversations with our colleagues in Aberdeen. Understandably, Aberdeen Council colleagues, of course, are worried about the North Sea oil and gas industry. 

“They're worried about local jobs, they're worried about the impact any policy may have, but they too understand that what we're talking about is a one-off windfall tax and putting money directly into people's pockets, that's in Aberdeen but also in other parts of the country.”

In his speech, Mr Sarwar urged former Labour voters to “come back home”.

He appealed to ex-supporters who had "held their nose and voted Tory" in previous elections.

"I say to those people directly, Boris Johnson has let you down. Boris Johnson has let the United Kingdom down. Boris Johnson is a corrupt joke and a liar. You don't need to hold your nose and vote Tory anymore, come home and vote Scottish Labour.” 

He made a similar appeal to voters who have switched to the SNP, saying Labour could “deliver change right now. Come back home. Vote Labour.”

Other key pledges in the manifesto include opposition to a workplace parking levy, plans to cap bus fares at £1.80, and a 50 per cent cut to train fares. The party also proposes a £400 fuel costs payment for struggling households and a £100 rebate on water bills for all.

On social care, they’re calling for a £15 per hour wage for social care workers, and free residential care for all over-65s.

At the launch, Mr Sarwar also made clear his opposition to Labour councillors forming coalitions with Tory or SNP groups.

Though this was ultimately a decision for the party’s Scottish Executive Committee, he said he believed most members of the ruling body agreed with him.

“We’ve had difficult situations in the past where decisions have been made by a Scottish Executive Committee that individual councils haven't liked. But the reality is, it's always been the case that the Scottish Executive Committee would sign off on any agreements. 

“And I think it's right for us to say we shouldn't be picking and choosing which is the good versus the bad. Both are bad for our country. Both are decimating local communities. And therefore I think it's right that we see no formal coalition with the SNP or the Tories.” 

Asked if any council defying the SEC and entering a non-approved coalition would be suspended, as happened in Aberdeen after the last election, Mr Sarwar said: “I'm very confident that there will be a good relationship between our councillors and our Scottish Executive. Things have changed in the Labour Party.”