ANAS Sarwar has accused the SNP of "tolerating human rights abuses" after multinationals won a slice of the Scottish seabed in the ScotWind renewables round.

Crown Estate Scotland greenlit 17 North Sea windpower schemes earlier this week. Together, they could deliver 25 gigawatts of energy.

But Sarwar says the rights were sold "on the cheap" and slammed the records of two firms set to do business here. 

The Scottish Labour leader didn't name the firms at First Minister's Questions, but said one had been fined millions of dollars for bribing officials in two countries, while the other was involved in human rights abuses and using slavery to build pipelines.

Sarwar said: "Just last week the SNP were right to accuse the Tory government of tolerating human rights abuses as a price worth paying to secure deals for the UK. this week the SNP has done the same.

READ MORE: ScotWind: Where will profits from the 17 Scottish sites go?

"What Nicola Sturgeon in effect is saying is it's bad when the Tories do it, but it's okay when the SNP do it."

Sturgeon shook her head as Sarwar spoke and he went on to say that Vattenfall, the Swedish state-owned power player, would be able to help keep bills down in Sweden after its ScotWind bid was also accepted.

He said SNP was not "stronger for Scotland" but "stronger for Sweden".

Sturgeon said: "Sweden is also an independent country with full control over energy. Of course, this government and this parliament doesn't have, but that's a matter that Anas Sarwar might want to reflect on on a little a little bit more."

She went on: "Just today the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero was talking about the opportunities, the opportunities are in consultation for plans for an energy public agency to steer these kinds of developments in the future.

"This is a thoroughly positive opportunity for Scotland and no wonder then that Scottish Labour just wants to girn about it and be negative. That's what's characterised Scottish Labour for a long time and it's why we're sitting over there  these days, not there and certainly not here."

Sturgeon said ScotWind brings the opportunity for potentially 10,000s of jobs, to meet our energy needs, keep bills down and export renewables, as well as to generate revenue for public services. 

Sarwar said: "The First Minister often likes to accuse opposition parties of demonstrating a brass neck. That was a brass neck from the First Minister in that reply."

Referring to Christian Wakeford MP's defection to Labour from the Conservatives, the SNP leader said it was "almost unbelievable" that Sarwar had accused her "of behaving like a Tory the day after his party threw open the doors to a Tory MP".

She went on: "There is now so little difference between Labour and the Tories that the MPs are just interchangeable."

The FM said: "I came into the chamber expecting political desperation from Douglas Ross today, I think I've seen even more from Anas Sarwar.

"I'll get on with encouraging the potential for Scottish renewable energy, for Scottish jobs, for revenue, for the Scottish Government and I'll be delighted at the next time of asking to put that record before the Scottish people."