OIL BE DAMNED

Sunak blasted for giving go-ahead to massive North Sea field near Shetland | Green campaigners say more fossil fuel investment puts profits before people | Yousaf calls it the 'wrong decision' but union says it will support jobs & economy

- DAN VEVERS

THE decision to approve drilling in Britain's largest untapped oil field has been branded "morally obscene" by campaigners who accused Rishi Sunak and the Tories of "climate crimes".

First Minister Humza Yousaf said approving the massive Rosebank offshore development in the North Sea was the "wrong decision" - the first time he has outright objected to the plans.

But Prime Minister Sunak insisted the move "makes sense" for the UK's energy security.

Rosebank, 80 miles west of Shetland, is estimated to hold up to 500million barrels of oil.

The regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, yesterday granted consent for development and production on the project, which will be operated by fossil fuel giants Equinor and Ithaca Energy.

Gilad Myerson, of Ithaca Energy, claimed it would create more than 1600 jobs.

But furious Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said: "This huge new oil field is morally obscene.

"The Government must be held accountable for complicity in this climate crime."

Philip Evans of Greenpeace UK said: "Sunak puts oil company profits above people. Relying on fossil fuels is terrible for energy security, the cost of living, and the climate."

Friends of the Earth Scotland's Freya Aitchison called the decision "disgraceful", adding: "Fossil fuels are driving both climate breakdown and the cost-of-living crisis yet the UK Government is slamming its foot down on the accelerator. The fight against Rosebank will continue.

Yousaf highlighted his concerns that most Rosebank oil will go to the international market rather than boosting energy supplies at home.

The First Minister told reporters at Holyrood: "This is the wrong decision to have been made and I've expressed my concerns about Rosebank going ahead for some time now.