# John Swinney’s former depute Kate Forbes piles pressure on him to back more North Sea drilling

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-swinneys-former-depute-kate-forbes-piles-pressure-on-him-to-back-more-north-sea-drilling/
- Published: 2026-11-01T19:12:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T19:25:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16256929/John-Swinneys-former-depute-Kate-Forbes-piles-pressure-North-Sea-drilling.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Kate Forbes says Swinney should back Rosebank.
- She warns 18,000 offshore energy jobs could be lost by 2035.
- Scotland’s final energy strategy is expected later next year.

## Summary

Kate Forbes has urged First Minister John Swinney to support the Rosebank oilfield, arguing approval would fit with a recent SNP conference motion. Her intervention increases pressure on Swinney after he repeatedly declined to say whether he backed the project, which has become a point of political dispute over jobs and energy policy.

Forbes warned that 18,000 offshore energy jobs could be lost by 2035 if new opportunities do not replace declining oil and gas activity. SNP delegates voted last month to remove the party’s presumption against new drilling and favour domestic production over imports, but the Scottish Government is expected to delay its final energy strategy until later next year. Forbes also criticised the UK Government’s plan to support the Acorn carbon capture project through loans or equity rather than further capital grants; an energy minister said funding remained available through those routes.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.