Get Rosebank oil flowing, urges Scots Labour leader

The leader of Scottish Labour has piled pressure on the Energy Secretary to give the green light to the Rosebank oil development. Michael Marra yesterday highlighted that the site, off Shetland, would boost jobs and the economy. It follows reports that Miatta Fahnbulleh is poised to reject Rosebank despite granting consent for the Jackdaw gas field off Aberdeen . The decision is expected to be more finely balanced because most of the oil will go overseas, whereas the Jackdaw gas is for domestic use and can help boost the UK’s energy security within weeks. Mr Marra, who has made the case for both Jackdaw and Rosebank to be approved directly to Andy Burnham and his ministers, said: ‘I support Rosebank because of the jobs and economic activity approving the field would support. ‘But I appreciate the Energy Secretary has a different decision on her desk compared to Jackdaw, and the quasi-legal test for oil for exports is different to gas for domestic use.’ New Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has put pressure on the Energy Secretary to green-light the Rosebank oil field The issue has divided Labour, with a series of Left-wing MPs signing a joint letter urging Ms Fahnbulleh to reject Rosebank to prove the Government ‘is serious about tackling climate change.’ Scottish Conservative MP Douglas Lumsden has also written to Ms Fahnbulleh urging her to approve Rosebank by Christmas, saying that rejecting it would be ‘cruel, unnecessary and uneconomic’. He said: ‘The city of Aberdeen and my constituents in Aberdeen South depend on the continued extraction and exploration of oil and gas fields. ‘Rosebank is set to support 1,600 to 2,000 jobs during peak construction and provide up to 525 long-term, UK-based jobs.’ Responding to reports Ms Fahnbulleh is minded to reject Rosebank, a spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: ‘This is speculation. As the Energy Secretary has said, each project will be assessed on its own merits.’