Scottish Tories to push SNP and Labour on Rosebank and Jackdaw in debate

The Scottish Tories will push the SNP and Labour on Rosebank and Jackdaw in a debate on Wednesday.

Tessa Khan, executive director at Uplift, said “The Conservatives are peddling a dangerous fantasy about the North Sea. New drilling won’t cut bills or stem the decline in jobs. What it will do is deepen our dependence on fossil fuels and drive the climate crisis – worsening the wildfires and drought we’ve seen this summer.

“New fields, like Rosebank, will do nothing to cut our energy bills, which are set to rise again precisely because we remain on the fossil fuel rollercoaster.

“They also know that new drilling won’t reverse the decline in jobs. When they were in power, the Conservatives watched oil and gas jobs fall by more than half while failing to properly plan for workers’ futures.

“To pretend that new oil and gas is a path to growth, energy security and secure jobs is a denial of the facts and a betrayal of the workforce.

“Today’s Conservatives are opposing public ownership in renewable energy that would give us a stake in the profits, resisting action on climate change and ignoring the climate costs being heaped on firefighters, farmers and ordinary families. Instead, they are choosing to cheerlead for an industry that is making billions in profit while millions struggle to pay their energy bills.

“They are out of step with the concerns of ordinary people – and resorting to cheap political tricks instead of offering serious answers.”