The Government has been accused by the Tories of “destroying” well paid jobs in Scotland with its policies on the oil and gas industry.
Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho claimed Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy is more willing to take oil from Russia or Qatar than Aberdeen.
It comes as voters head to the polls in Aberdeen South on Thursday, where the UK’s energy future has been at the heart of local debate.
By-elections are also taking place in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry in eastern Scotland and in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, where Andy Burnham hopes to begin his leadership assent.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Lammy said the Government is “delivering clean energy security”, as he stood in for Sir Keir Starmer while he is at the G7 summit in France.
Opening the exchange, Ms Coutinho said she was privileged to be standing with “one of the few survivors of Labour’s original Cabinet”.
She added: “Why is the Labour Government happy for Britain to get its oil and gas from Russia or Qatar, but not from Aberdeen?”
Mr Lammy hit back, saying: “She was the energy secretary who left our country exposed to global fossil fuel markets, we’re delivering clean energy security.”
Ms Coutinho claimed the Tories had brought down bills by £500, whereas they had risen £300 under Labour.
She added: “His party are banning new oil and gas licences in the North Sea and… this is the same policy that the SNP championed for years.
“This is pointless virtue signalling and is destroying well paid jobs.”
Mr Lammy said the Tories changed their policy on net zero because they are “desperately chasing Reform”.
He added: “Over 700 jobs were lost during the last 10 years when they were in power. Production fell 75% over the last 25 years.
“We have secured over £900 billion worth of investment to support more jobs by taking control with renewables, and there are over 100,000 jobs in Scotland supported by clean power.”
He later told her to “stop reading the papers”, as she claimed Energy Secretary Ed Miliband “ghosted” the Prime Minister by refusing to meet with him to discuss funding defence.
The Deputy Prime Minister added the defence investment plan “will set out how every Government department is contributing to defence, including the energy department, we will always put national security first”.
Ms Coutinho then said: “If everything is so hunky-dory, why did half his defence team quit last week?”
Mr Lammy replied: “More spending on defence is our number one priority in this spending review, in the next spending review,” as he pointed to previous Tory resignations.
He added: “We’ve got an Education Secretary cutting costs for childcare, and we’ve got an Energy Secretary cutting energy bills by over £100. We’re proud of that record.”
Ms Coutinho said “this is a Government on life support”, adding: “Why don’t they cut welfare, fund defence, make energy cheap, and back the North Sea?”
Mr Lammy replied: “I am proud to serve this Prime Minister and proud of what this Labour Government is delivering – more rights for working people, the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation, the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, and lifting more children out of poverty in a single term than any British Government in history.”