MSPs clash over Jackdaw and Rosebank new oil and gas

The Scottish Conservatives called opposition to new drilling in the North Sea 'ill-informed, dogmatic virtue signalling' in a debate ...

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It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald.

The Scottish Conservatives called opposition to new drilling in the North Sea 'ill-informed, dogmatic virtue signalling' in a debate on the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.

Licences granted for the developments were voided by the Court of Session last year, with the decision by the Conservative government to give the green light declared unlawful because it did not take into account the climate impact of burning the extracted oil and gas.

Conservative MSP Liam Kerr moved a motion calling on the UK Government to "stop prevaricating" and grant consent for the controversial projects, and urging the Scottish Government to "do what it can" to provide leadership on this issue.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has delayed a decision until after a crucial by-election, and in its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party pledged "we will not issue new licenses to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis".

Questions have also been raised about ties to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Ithaca Energy is 75% or more owned by Delek, an Israeli conglomerate which largely operates in the fossil fuel industry and owns one of the country's largest chains of petrol stations and operates in the occupied territory.

In a debate in the Scottish Parliament, Liam Kerr argued that rejecting North Sea oil would not reduce emissions, and would in fact increase them due to the CO2 associated with importing liquid natural gas (LNG) as well as its production.

The Conservative also aimed a barb at Duncan Massey, the former Tory councillor who defected to Reform, calling him a 'cheerleader' for the energy profits levy (EPL) and saying he didn't have time to take an intervention from his former colleague.