UK government theme park funding sparks SNP row over carbon capture project delays

The UK government's decision to allocate 1.3 billion pounds to a Universal theme park in Bedfordshire has drawn criticism from the SNP, who argue the money should go toward the Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire. The Acorn project aims to capture CO2 from industrial sites and store it in depleted North Sea gas fields, but has faced delays and funding uncertainty since missing out on support in 2021. The SNP candidate for Aberdeen South, Richard Thomson, called the theme park funding a waste while energy jobs in the north-east are at risk. Scottish Labour and Conservatives both defended their records on Acorn, with Labour noting it provided development funding and the Tories pointing to the SNP's failure to deliver the full 80 million pounds it promised for the project. The Acorn project remains on a reserve list for future backing.