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Rosebank oil field should be blocked, says Lib Dem leader

The Lib Dem leader says renewables should be Scotland's priority

The planned Rosebank oil and gas field development off Shetland should not go ahead, according to the Lib Dem leader.

Sir Ed Davey told BBC Scotland News the focus should instead be on renewables and insulating homes.

A decision on Rosebank, the UK's largest untapped oil field, is expected shortly from a UK government regulator.

"Scotland has a fantastic renewables record and a fantastic renewables potential. That has to be our priority," he said.

Rosebank, located 80 miles of west of Shetland, is estimated to contain 500 million barrels of oil.

A decision on its development had been repeatedly delayed but there have been reports it could come before the end of the year.

Sir Ed was pressed on his party's position ahead of his party's conference in Bournemouth this weekend.

He told BBC Scotland News: "We need to invest in renewables. Scotland has a fantastic renewables record and a fantastic renewables potential. That has to be our priority.

"The great thing about offshore wind power, renewable power in general is that it's the cheapest and most popular. Surely that should be our priority."

Asked directly if Rosebank should go ahead, he replied: "I don't think it should go ahead. I think we need to focus on insulating people's homes, on pushing energy efficiency and pushing the renewable agenda.

"That is the energy of the future. It's the clean energy. It would give us real independence."

Getty Images Rosebank protestersGetty Images
Anti-Rosebank protesters outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero earlier this year

Last month 50 MPs and peers from all major parties wrote to then energy secretary Grant Shapps urging him to block Rosebank, arguing that it could produce 200m tonnes of carbon dioxide and that most of the cost of development would be shouldered by the taxpayer.

Labour has already said it would not grant licenses to explore new fields if it wins the next general election, although it would honour any licences that had already been granted.

The SNP has not said directly that is opposes Rosebank. Wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray said recently that it was a decision for the UK government, but that he wants to see "stringent climate compatibility checkpoints".

Grant Shapps, who had previously suggested the UK should "max out" its existing reserves, is now defence secretary, while Claire Coutinho was promoted to minister for energy security and net zero in last month's mini-reshuffle.

rosebank graphic

Elsewhere in his interview, Ed Davey insisted the Lib Dems were still a mainstream player in Scottish politics despite having only four MPs and four MSPs.

He said the party was enjoying success at local government level and was hopeful of regaining the Westminster seat of East Dunbartonshire - where former Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson was famously ousted by an SNP candidate in 2019.

He said the party was also targeting Skye and Lochaber, once held by Charles Kennedy before he was defeated by the SNP's Ian Blackford in 2015.

Asked whether there was any way he would support another Scottish independence referendum, he said the current focus should be on things like cost of living pressures and the health service.

"I'm really proud of what Alex Cole-Hamilton and the team have been doing - campaigning on the NHS in particular and the cost of living issues that matter to people - so I really think we're back in Scotland and we're going forward," he said.