AN SNP MSP has attacked his party's partners in government the Scottish Greens as a bunch of "wine bar revolutionaries" in a row over the future of North Sea energy.

Former Cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing was ticked off over his language in Holyrood by his sister, the Deputy Presiding Officer Annabelle Ewing who was chairing today's session of First Minister's Questions when the remarks were made.

The long-serving SNP MSP had called on Humza Yousaf to support the continued extraction of gas from the North Sea instead of relying on more imports from other countries including the United States and Norway.

The future of oil and gas in Scotland is a major political issue as the government tries to balance its Net Zero commitments with the tens thousands of jobs provided by the North Sea energy sector.

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The Scottish Greens, who signed a power-sharing agreement with the SNP in 2021, are firmly opposed to any new extraction licenses being granted for North Sea exploration.

Mr Ewing told MSPs today: "Here in Scotland, and the UK, we will need and continue to need on gas for decades to come.

"The gas is imported in many cases from the US - but their gas is produced with four times the carbon emissions of Rosebank.

"Therefore, does the First Minister agree with me that sacrificing development of our own gas resource would not only decimate thousands of highly skilled jobs, in a form of economic masochism advocated by the wine bar revolutionaries in the Green party, but also make climate change worse?"

Mr Ewing's comments were loudly cheered by Conservative MSPs.

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His sister, deputising for Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone at FMQs today, then reminded all members of the need for "courtesy and respect" when speaking in the Chamber.

Mr Yousaf responded: "I’ve got a feeling, deputy presiding officer, that’s not the first time you’ve had to tell off your brother, one suspects."

The First Minister added that “nobody” in the Scottish Government or Green party was saying fossil fuel extraction had to stop “tomorrow”.

Earlier, during FMQs, the Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman had asked if the First Minister would provide an update on what recent engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the proposed development of the Rosebank oil and gas field, in light of the Scottish Government’s draft energy strategy and just transition plan.

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And she pressed him on the energy strategy's view that “in order to support the fastest possible and most effective just transition, there should be a presumption against new exploration for oil and gas.”

The First Minister did not say whether he thought there should be a presumption against new fossil fuel exploration.

"I want the north-east of Scotland to be the net zero capital of not just Europe but the world, and I believe that it has the potential to do so," he said.

"Maggie Chapman is absolutely right that, first and foremost, we have to make sure that any decisions that are taken by the UK Government must be taken in relation to our climate obligations...Secondly, we should ensure that the decisions align with our energy security needs.

"My third point is really central, and I believe that Maggie Chapman will agree with me. We must take the workers of the north-east with us. As I have already said, we will never do to the north-east what Margaret Thatcher did to our mining and steel communities.

"We will not decimate sectors and we will not leave a single worker on the scrapheap. That is why I will continue to invest in and accelerate the just transition as quickly as possible."

The Bute House Agreement was a major subject of discussion in the recent SNP leadership race.

Humza Yousaf championed the pact with the Scottish Greens, which allows the SNP to govern as a majority.

However, his rivals in the contest Kate Forbes and Ash Regan were lukewarm on the arrangement.

In the final days of the contest Mr Ewing, who backed Ms Forbes in the race, called for the SNP to end its pact with the Scottish Greens, believing the smaller party was exerting too much influence and pushing policies which were weakening support for the SNP.