John Swinney signals rethink on North Sea oil and gas licences as prices rise

Scotland’s First Minister has said he has to “look at the evidence in the world as it faces me” after he appeared to soften his position on oil and gas.

Speaking at a recording of the Holyrood Sources podcast on Wednesday, John Swinney said the difference in carbon intensity between imported and domestic oil and gas should form part of the consideration of allowing new fields.

He stopped short of saying he supported the approval of fields in the North Sea such as Rosebank and Jackdaw, but said the situation in the Middle East warrants a rethink.

Launching their campaign on Thursday in Edinburgh, the Scottish Greens pointed to the opposition to new offshore drilling from former first minister Nicola Sturgeon when the Greens were in government through the Bute House Agreement, with co-leader Ross Greer saying: “How far has the Scottish Government fallen from that position where, yet again, last night, the First Minister opened the door further to Jackdaw, to Rosebank, to those new fields.

“What catastrophe that would be, not just for Scotland, but for our planet.”

But speaking to the Press Association, the First Minister said: “I’ve got to look at the situation that I face in the country today, and the issues in relation to the energy situation in the Middle East causes significant concern and anxiety in relation to these questions.

“I’ve got to look at the evidence in the world as it faces me today and make sure that I can take the action to support people in Scotland.

“But obviously underpinning all of that must be the adherence to the rigorous process of climate compatibility assessment, which has got to apply to any particular development.”

Ahead of speaking to journalists on Thursday, the First Minister laid out a three-point plan that he urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to back, including the scrapping of the increase in fuel duty later this year, the introduction of a lower household energy cap, scrapping VAT on household bills, and reducing it to 5% for businesses.

Speaking to the PA on Thursday, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay urged the First Minister to be clearer in his stance.

“It’s not entirely clear of what John Swinney is appearing to suggest,” he said.

“The SNP government and the Labour government have stood idly by while thousands upon thousands of Scottish jobs in oil and gas have been lost.

“He’s now suggesting a few weeks out from an election that he might be somehow in favour of drilling North Sea oil and gas.

“I think he needs to be much more clear than that because if it is posturing, if it is a pre-election spin, then it would be a complete and utter betrayal of the oil and gas workers which our party stand behind.”

A poll by Ipsos suggests 48% of people in the UK support the issuing of new licences for the North Sea.