Gillian Mackay urges Swinney to come clean on Rosebank

Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP has urged the First Minister to provide clarity over the Scottish Government’s position on the controversial Rosebank oil field, warning that continued silence risks abandoning Scotland’s climate and human rights commitments.

In a letter sent today, Gillian highlighted the government’s clear opposition under Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Humza Yousaf MSP, contrasting it with the evasion of recent months.

At nearly 500 million barrels, Rosebank is the biggest undeveloped oil and gas field in the North Sea. In January the Court of Session ruled against the controversial proposals.

Serious concerns have also been raised about the project’s links to Delek, an Israeli conglomerate listed by the United Nations for its reported involvement in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Delek is the majority owner of Ithaca Energy, one of the companies behind the Rosebank development.

In 2025 the Scottish Greens secured a landmark commitment from the Scottish Government for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in response to the genocide that has been inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza.

Fossil fuel giant Equinor has submitted a new application, in which they’ve had to admit that the proposed Rosebank oil field will be 50 times more polluting than what they first claimed, with 250 million new tonnes of carbon emissions. 

Gillian MacKay MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said:

“For years, the government was clear that Rosebank had no place in Scotland. Under Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, the SNP said quite clearly, no. 

“Under John Swinney, that clarity has been replaced by silence. It is climate negligence and is helping to pave the way for Westminster to give the green light to Europe’s biggest new oil field.

“We are three months out from an election, and the people of Scotland deserve to know his position on one of the biggest environmental issues that we face.

“Rosebank would lock us into decades more fossil fuels, drill a hole through our climate targets and undermine the just transition that our workers and communities are entitled to. 

“It would also mean Scotland’s resources helping fund a company that has been linked to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. This is totally incompatible with the boycott, divestment and sanctions policy that the government supported.

“Scotland should not be complicit in climate breakdown or the displacement of Palestinian people. 

“John Swinney must come clean and say whether his government still opposes Rosebank. Anything less would backtrack on Scotland’s previous climate leadership and our unwavering commitment to international law.”

TEXT OF GILLIAN’S LETTER

Dear First Minister,

I am writing to seek clarity from you on the Scottish Government’s position regarding the proposed Rosebank oil field, and in particular the growing contradiction between your public position and the one taken by your predecessors.

When Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf served as First Minister, Scotland’s opposition to Rosebank was clear, explicit and principled. They recognised that opening up the largest undeveloped oil field in UK waters was incompatible with Scotland’s climate commitments and that without the just transition that our vital energy workers and communities deserve. 

This was underpinned by a draft energy strategy that for the first time took a presumption against new oil and gas exploration. It is three years later and the final strategy has still not been published.

Over recent months in particular, the clarity has been replaced by a commitment to a so-called climate compatibility test. Rosebank is the biggest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea, we both know that there is no way that it could pass any climate test worthy of the name.

This means that recent responses from the Scottish Government on Rosebank have been vague and carefully non-committal. When strong leadership is needed, silence on this issue risks sending the message that Scotland is stepping back from its climate responsibilities.

Rosebank would further entrench our reliance on outdated and expensive fossil fuels. Its full climate impact, including the emissions from burning the oil and gas it would produce, would undermine our legal obligations. 

Additionally, as you are aware, one of the companies involved in Rosebank, Ithaca Energy, is majority-owned by the Delek Group, an Israeli conglomerate that the United Nations has listed for its involvement in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The UN has found that Delek has provided services that support the maintenance and expansion of those settlements, which are illegal under international law.

That means approval of Rosebank not only undermines Scotland’s response to its climate emergency, but also risks turning Scotland’s natural resources into a revenue stream for the ongoing dispossession of Palestinian people, an issue you have previously recognised as a grave human rights concern. 

This is totally incompatible with the commitment that your government made to support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. For a Scottish Government that has repeatedly committed itself to international law and human rights, that should be a red line.

I urge you to state clearly whether the Scottish Government continues to oppose the Rosebank development. Anything less than an unambiguous rejection risks undermining Scotland’s credibility on climate leadership, human rights and international law. 

The people of Scotland deserve honesty and clarity from its government. Will you stand by the position taken by your predecessors or will Scotland now retreat while Westminster decides our climate future for us?

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Gillian Mackay MSP                        

Co-leader                            

Scottish Green Party