MSP ‘deeply disappointed’ as Moray FLOW Park used for political gain

Banffshire and Buchan Coast SNP MSP Karen Adam has said she is “deeply disappointed” that Conservative politicians have chosen to politicise the proposed Moray FLOW Park for electoral gain, instead of being honest with coastal communities about what the recent Holyrood vote actually meant.

Last week, the Scottish Conservatives tabled an amendment to a Scottish Government debate on fishing, calling on the Scottish Parliament to “oppose” the proposed Moray FLOW Park.

Karen Adam and other SNP MSPs voted against the amendment, a move which Tory politicians have since used online to claim the SNP “voted against our fishermen”.

Karen Adam says that version of events is “misleading” and “all about headlines, not outcomes”.

Karen Adam MSP said:

“I completely understand why fishers, processors and local residents are worried about the Moray FLOW Park. I’ve already said publicly that I share many of their concerns, I’ve asked to meet the developer, and I will keep doing everything I can to make sure coastal communities are properly heard.

“What I will not do is pretend that one symbolic line in a Conservative amendment would somehow stop this proposal. It wouldn’t. It doesn’t change the law, it doesn’t halt the project and it doesn’t alter the regulatory process.

“The only thing it clearly was designed to do was produce a graphic for election leaflets.”

The SNP MSP says the project is still at a very early stage, with no application yet lodged with Ministers. A full Environmental Impact Assessment and formal public consultation, run under statutory rules, is expected to begin in 2026 as part of the consenting process.

Karen Adam added:

“When the time comes, Scottish Ministers, advised by Marine Scotland and the regulators, will have to decide whether or not to grant licences.

“Ministers have a legal duty not to pre-judge a live or forthcoming application. If Parliament and Government were to sign up to a fixed position now, before we have even seen the Environmental Impact Assessment or the consultation responses, that can actually weaken the legal position later and be used against communities.

“That is why the Cabinet Secretary was very clear in the chamber that she did not want to prejudice the procedures and processes that still have to happen.

“So to be crystal clear: I did not vote ‘for’ Moray FLOW Park. I voted against a Conservative amendment that was, in my view, a headline-grabber and legally meaningless, and which risked muddying the waters of a live and forthcoming regulatory process.”

Karen Adam also criticised what she called “low politics” from the local Conservatives, who she says are using fishers’ fears as a distraction from damaging Tory council cuts.

She continued:

“I’ll be honest,  I’m appalled to see Moray FLOW Park being used in this way. I had hoped we’d have an honest debate about the future of our coastal communities, not this kind of spin.

“Given the impact of Conservative-backed council cuts on local services and vulnerable people, I’m sadly not surprised they’d rather shout about a screenshot from Holyrood than talk about the reality on the ground.

“My messaging might not always be the loudest or the flashiest, but folk can be sure of this: I will be honest, up-front and on their side. I will own my record and my decisions. I won’t dress up a stunt as a solution, and I won’t stoop to low politics just to push myself forward – my work for this constituency will speak for itself.”

The Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP, who founded the Cross-Party Group on Fisheries and Coastal Communities in the Scottish Parliament, said she would continue to focus on “the hard, honest work” of influencing the project through the proper channels.

Karen Adam concluded:

“You and other inshore fishers were right to expect my support, you have it, and you will keep having it.

“What I am doing now is continuing to listen to fishers, processors and coastal businesses; pressing for full, early and meaningful consultation; using the Cross-Party Group on Fisheries and Coastal Communities, which I set up, to bring fishers and the renewables sector into the same room and get Moray FLOW Park on the agenda in a serious way; and making sure that when the formal consultation opens, local people are supported to put in strong, detailed objections based on evidence.

“That might not grab as many headlines as a Tory graphic, but it is the honest way, and it’s the way that gives us the best chance of stopping or changing a bad proposal, not just shouting about it.

“If anyone sees a claim about ‘how I voted’ or ‘what I said’ and they’re not sure it’s accurate, I would urge them to come to me directly and fact-check it. Our coastal communities deserve the truth, not just a campaign slogan.”