Is the Scottish government softening on oil and gas?
16 minutes ago Share Save Phil Sim Scotland political correspondent Share Save
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At first glance, the Scottish government declining to take a position on something isn't hugely exciting. But the determination of ministers to stay out of the debate about the Rosebank oil field has been welcomed by business groups in Aberdeen. Norwegian oil giant Equinor has submitted a fresh application for permission to develop the field off Shetland, which could yield 300 million barrels of oil. Asked for a response by the Times newspaper, a Scottish government spokesman simply said these decisions are reserved to the UK government. John Swinney later told BBC Scotland that this was in line with a longstanding position. But the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce called it a "subtle, nuanced, but nonetheless important signal from the Scottish government". It does feel a far cry from the days when Nicola Sturgeon was declaring a climate emergency and hosting a global summit aimed at ending reliance on fossil fuel
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