Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has announced his government's opposition to the Labour Party's proposed ban on new North Sea drilling. This move signifies a departure from the previous "presumption against" new licenses established under Nicola Sturgeon.
Swinney's office confirmed that the Scottish National Party (SNP) intends to seek the removal of the ban from the Energy Independence Bill. Should their efforts fail, the SNP plans to vote against the entire bill in Westminster. This decision comes after Swinney repeatedly declined to state his position on the controversial Rosebank oil field development.
During a parliamentary exchange, Swinney stated, "We do not support the provisions of that Bill in relation to the position on the granting of new licences for the exploration of new oil and gas fields for the simple reason… that any particular applications need to be considered in relation to their impact on our carbon reduction targets, given the fact that we are going to be using oil and gas for some years to come."
Reform UK's Scottish leader, Lord Malcolm Offord, welcomed the U-turn, while Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay criticized Swinney's "silence" and argued that the ban would be "catastrophic for Scottish jobs, energy security and Scotland’s economy."
A spokesman for the First Minister reiterated the government's stance: "We will seek to get those provisions removed from the Bill as it goes through parliament. If those provisions are in the Bill when it goes to its final vote we can’t support the Bill."