Exclusive:Scots back Rosebank oil field in major blow to climate campaigners

All age groups back the UK Government’s decision to give Rosebank the go-ahead.

A majority of Scots back the UK Government’s decision to give the largest untapped oilfield in the North Sea the go-ahead in a blow to environmental campaigners.

The Rosebank field, which lies north-west of Shetland and contains up to 350 million barrels of oil, is currently one of the largest untapped discoveries in UK waters.

Owned by Equinor and Ithaca Energy, it could produce 69,000 barrels of oil per day, about 8 per cent of the UK’s projected daily output between 2026 and 2030, and could also produce 44 million cubic feet of gas every day.

The Scottish public have backed the granting of a licence to the Rosebank oil and gas field. Andrew Milligan/PA

Around the time of the decision, Mr Yousaf said: “What I would say is I think Rosebank is the wrong decision. The decision that has been made today it is not the right decision to be made.”

It was also heavily criticised by the Scottish Greens and other environmental campaigners.

However, in a Savanta poll for The Scotsman which interviewed 1,002 Scottish adults online between October 6 and 11, a majority of Scots backed the call.

In total, 51 per cent supported the decision with 22 per cent opposed, with 27 per cent stating they did not know or had no opinion.

All age groups also backed the move, with the strongest support among those over 65 and the lowest among those aged 25 to 34.

The decision came around the same time Rishi Sunak rolled back on many of the UK Government’s environmental policies.

These have, however, also been backed by Scottish voters.

This includes policies such as delaying the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars (supported by 53 per cent of Scots), delaying the ban on fossil fuel boilers (supported by 51 per cent), and removing energy efficiency requirements on rental properties (backed by 38 per cent of Scots and opposed by 31 per cent).

However, there is better news for Mr Yousaf in regards to the controversial short-term let licensing scheme which was more likely to be backed by voters than not.

More than two in five (41 per cent) back the scheme, which requires those operating Airbnbs and similar businesses to apply for a licence to meet safety standards, while just under a quarter (24 per cent) oppose it.

A third (35 per cent) said they either didn’t know or didn’t have an opinion.

One internal party critic towards the SNP’s policies around the scheme and its preference for the end of oil and gas extraction in the North Sea is Fergus Ewing, who was provisionally suspended from the party for voting against the government in a confidence vote.

However, opinion is split on whether this was the right move, with people most likely to say they don’t know or don’t have an opinion (43 per cent).

A quarter (24 per cent) back the move, while a third (34 per cent) oppose it, however this is split down party lines with SNP voters most likely to back it and Tories most likely to oppose it.