ACTIVISTS from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Scotland have staged a protest outside the Scottish Parliament to denounce a private meeting between MSPs and fossil fuel giant BP.

Two activists dressed as an MSP and a BP oil executive lay in a bed on the pavement outside the main entrance to Holyrood on Wednesday night, in protest against the overly cosy relationship between the company and policy-makers. 

Behind them, a black banner reading “BP: Bought Politicians” was held by the crowd in Edinburgh. 

At the meeting, BP executives were expected to talk about their continued production of oil and gas in Scotland, and their widely criticised plan to reach net zero.

BP still plans to sell oil and gas in 2050 — well beyond the point at which fossil fuels should be phased out, with the absolute emissions from the products BP sells expected to grow until at least 2030.

John, an XR Scotland activist said: “Less than a month after Cop26, where governments once again put fossil fuel interests over the needs of people and planet, BP are being welcomed into the heart of our Parliament to talk about their plans to expand production and their ambition to reach net zero. 

“Until they accept the severity of climate breakdown and set out clear actions to reduce fossil fuel production, everything they say is greenwashing. BP are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem.”

The protest also saw two other activists pour fake, non-toxic oil into the pond outside the Scottish Parliament to highlight BP’s investment in the Trans Mountain Pipeline project in Canada. 

BP and the Scottish Parliament were approached for comment.