Majority of Scots back ‘pragmatic’ North Sea approach

Over two-thirds of Scots back a pragmatic approach to the future of the North Sea, agreeing decisions on oil and gas should be made on a case-by-case basis, according to a new report.

IPPR Scotland has said the Scottish Government could use the transition away from fossil fuels as a way to rebuild trust in politics by tying together a number of related areas.

The thinktank calls for a cross-party agreement on a transition for the north east, a package to support warm homes and lower bills, and a “public dashboard” tracking how the transition is going.

A poll conducted as part of the report found 69 per cent of people supported the more pragmatic approach to new fields, and 63 per cent backed more investment in renewables.

Extreme positions on oil and gas were more uncommon, with one in six Scots wanting all restrictions on drilling scrapped while one in ten backed an end to drilling immediately.

It comes as the UK Government mulls its decision on two new oil fields, Jackdaw and Rosebank, which were previously given the go-ahead before being halted by the courts for incomplete environmental impact assessments.

Labour pledged not to grant any more licences for new oil fields ahead of the last election, but it did say it would honour existing ones.

Reports suggest Prime Minister Andy Burnham is minded to grant the licences for the two fields.

The IPPR report found 30 per cent of people backed the current approach to existing fields and 35 per cent agreed some new fields with restrictions should be allowed.

A majority of people (61 per cent) agreed net zero remained an important goal, while 84 per cent said the natural environment is one of the most important parts of the country.

There was also strong backing for investment in communities impacted by the transition to net zero, with 77 per cent agree government must invest in areas affect by oil and gas job losses.

David Hawkey, senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, said: “Arguments about North Sea oil and gas often miss the point that the hypermature basin will never return to production levels of old times.

“Communities in the north east of Scotland need a concrete plan for jobs, skills and investment to transition to a post-fossil fuel economy, and our research shows the public will back a government that delivers one.”

The report also calls for a skills passport and apprenticeship guarantee to be established within this parliamentary term, a clear plan for local economic benefit from ScotWind, and investment in ports, colleges and supply chains.

However, trust in parties to be able to deliver on their commitments remains low. The SNP is most trusted, with 42 per cent of those asked saying they trust the party to deliver its manifesto.

By comparison, 25 per cent trust Labour and 27 per cent trust the Greens. The Reform and Conservatives are least trusted, with more than half of people saying they do not trust either.

On politicians more generally, almost half of Scots (49 per cent) consider them to be ineffective, while over half (53 per cent) believe politicians look out for themselves over the general public.