Humza Yousaf 'not convinced' controversial Rosebank oil field should go ahead

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Humza Yousaf has said he is “not convinced” the huge Rosebank oil field planned off Shetland should go ahead.The First Minister told the Record it wasn’t his decision to make - with North Sea licensing reserved to the Westminster government.But in pointed remarks on the controversial development - which could produce some 500million barrels of oil if green-lit - he dismissed Tory arguments it would boost UK energy security.And the SNP leader highlighted research suggesting damaging emissions from the site could amount to more than the entire carbon output of the world’s 28 poorest countries.It would appear to mark a shift in tone from Yousaf on the contentious North Sea project - although he claimed he’d said similar things before.Scottish Government ministers have recently been criticised for not taking a firmer stance against Rosebank - after Yousaf’s predecessor Nicola Sturgeon outright opposed the since-paused Cambo drilling scheme.Asked by the Record about his view in a meeting with journalists in Edinburgh, the FM said: “My starting position on Rosebank is I’m not convinced it should go ahead and I’ve said as much publicly, for a number of reasons.“First and foremost, for example, the majority of Rosebank is oil as opposed to gas - that oil, of course, then gets exported.“Any suggestion that helps us in terms of our domestic energy security, I think, doesn't quite stack up."Yousaf stressed that “unlimited oil and gas extraction is not Scotland’s future”.But he added: “We have to make sure we take [North Sea] workers with us on this journey.” To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.