THE Scottish Greens branded Labour “as damaging as the Tories” on Rosebank today after Sir Keir Starmer said that he would not cancel the authorisation for the widely opposed oil project, despite his party’s commitment to issue no new oil and gas licences.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that a licence has been granted for the exploitation of the massive Rosebank field, estimated to contain 545 million barrels of oil, Sir Keir claimed that to withdraw it would undermine economic “stability.” 

“What we’ve said is no new licences to be granted when we’re in power, but we won’t revoke anything, any licences that are granted before we come into power,” he told Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast.