SNP MSP breaks ranks with John Swinney to back North Sea oil drilling at Rosebank and Jackdaw

An SNP politician has broken ranks with his party with an explicit call for drilling at Britain’s biggest untapped oil field.

Jack Middleton, an MSP and a former special adviser to First Minister John Swinney, said he “can’t fathom” how work at the North Sea's Rosebank and Jackdaw fields would breach the country’s climate obligations.

Mr Middleton has also written to Andy Burnham, likely to be the next Prime Minister, calling for him to ditch the windfall tax on North Sea operators.

Rosebank is Britain’s largest untapped oil field and Jackdaw is a giant gas field.

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Both are licensed, but work was stopped after legal challenges on climate grounds.

The decision on whether it can resume at either site now rests with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

Mr Swinney has said he would support new North Sea operations, provided they passed “climate compatibility tests”.

This was a change in stance from Nicola Sturgeon’s administration, which had supported a presumption against new exploration.

But Mr Swinney has not explicitly backed Rosebank or Jackdaw.

The First Minister said in April he could not give a “definitive answer” on the fields because climate compatibility assessments still had to be undertaken.

Mr Middleton, who took the Aberdeen Central seat in May, said authorising the sites would create jobs for the area.

He told the Press and Journal: “I am explicitly supporting Jackdaw and Rosebank because I can’t fathom any way that it doesn’t meet those climate obligations.

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“In this time of great global uncertainty, we should be using our own resources.

“I think doing that would obviously not only sustain thousands of Scottish jobs; it would be a huge boost to businesses and the economy across the north-east.

“We’ve seen Westminster decimate Scottish industry before and I am not prepared to stand by and stand silent and watch that happen to Aberdeen.”

Mr Middleton also urged Mr Burnham to end the windfall tax on oil and gas if he enters Downing Street.

The energy profits levy has proved controversial, particularly after it was put in place to respond to outsized profits for energy giants during the cost-of-living crisis.

Experts have suggested it could be costing as many as 1,000 jobs per month in the North Sea and it has been met with substantial political opposition.

In a letter to the former Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Middleton said: “The supply chains and investment we need to deliver our renewables future is being destroyed before our very eyes thanks to the energy profits levy and licensing decisions taken by Westminster.

“Put simply, our energy security, our economy and our net zero future hangs in the balance because of Westminster’s decision to rely on high-carbon imports as well as inflicting a punitive tax and licensing regime on Scotland’s energy.

“I am unaware of a single coherent argument in favour of the continuation of this destructive tax and I urge you to provide assurances to the people of Scotland of your position.

“For too long Scotland’s resources have been treated as cash cow to the detriment of our economy and national security – the people of Scotland and these islands deserve to know you will take steps to address that and provide us with a straight answer.”

The oil and gas industry took centre stage at the recent Aberdeen South by-election, which was won by the Conservatives.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Ministers share Mr Middleton’s view that energy security and investment in Scotland’s energy sector is crucial, and that the UK Government must replace the energy profits levy with a fair system that protects jobs.

“They also agree that individual North Sea oil and gas projects, by law, must be assessed on a case-by-case basis for their climate compatibility.”

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