Holyrood rejects call to greenlight Rosebank and Jackdaw as EDF boss brands North Sea delay a 'no-brainer'

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

Scottish MSPs voted 77 to 42 to defeat a Conservative motion demanding the immediate approval of the Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field, instead passing a Labour amendment that hands the final decision to the UK Energy Secretary. Scottish Conservative energy spokesman Liam Kerr warned the result would put 3,500 jobs at risk at peak production and cost the economy close to £30 billion in gross value added over the projects' lifetimes. The vote came after EDF Energy chief executive Simone Rossi told the BBC that approving both fields is a "no-brainer" that poses "no contradiction" to net zero goals. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged a "pragmatic approach" but has deferred a decision pending the outcome of a crucial by-election.

Rossi argued that producing oil and gas in UK waters causes less pollution than importing equivalent volumes from overseas.

Kerr accused both Labour and the SNP of "dogmatic ideology and virtue-signalling" towards one of Scotland's most important industries.

The Rosebank field's licences were previously voided by the Court of Session after a ruling that approval had failed to account for the climate impact of burning the extracted oil and gas.