Westminster Bridge hijacked by eco-mob as protesters ignite red flares in demand for action
The group have stormed the bridge in the middle of rush hour
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Climate protesters have taken to Westminster Bridge demanding the closure of Rosebank oil field.
The protesters wielded banners and ignited bright red flares flares as they sought to cause a scene.
The group, Fossil Free London, are calling for the closure of the oil field which is situated in the North Sea.
They posted on social media about their demonstration: "MP's return to Westminster today & we have a simple message: #StopRosebank. It would obliterate our climate targets & cost us £3.75 billion in public money, while doing absolutely nothing to lower our energy bills. Join us to stop it."
If approved, production could begin on the oil field as early as 2026
PA
Rosebank is the largest untapped oil field in the UK and it expected to be approved by regulators soon.
Production could begin as soon as 2026.
Despite calls from many activists to halt the project, First Minister Humza Yousaf has not opposed the building of the oil field.
Scotland’s Wellbeing Economy Secretary, Neil Gray, said: "We recognise that oil and gas is going to be with us for some time to come."
"But we want to see much more stringent climate compatibility checks to ensure oil and gas continues to be compatible with our net-zero objectives," he added.
Last month, Rishi Sunak announced 100 new gas and oil licences for the North Sea, but Gray said these would not work with Scotland's climate objectives.
He added: "Neither can we see the shutdown of the oil and gas sector prematurely, as appears to be being suggested by the Labour Party."
Many MPs have written to Grant Shapps, the energy secretary up until 1 September, expressing their disagreement with the announcement of the new licences.
In their letter, the cross-party group said it would be "deeply irresponsible" to give the go ahead to Rosebank, which is predicted to hold about 500 million barrels worth of oil.
The politicians say this could produce "200m tonnes" of carbon dioxide, adding: "This is more than the combined annual CO2 emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world."
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The oil field has come under fire from both members of the public and government officials
PA
Joanna Warrington, a spokeswoman for Fossil Free London, said: "Rishi Sunak wants to give billions of pounds of public money to a giant oil company in exchange for the climate time bomb, which will do absolutely nothing to lower our energy bills. It’s reckless and absurd.
"People want clean, cheap renewable energy, but the government is on autopilot, handing money to their oily chums.
"Yet again, they are prioritising fossil fuel industry profits over a future safe from climate breakdown. We need to stop Rosebank and drive oily money out of our politics."
The Scottish Government has said it will work towards a "just transition" away from oil and gas, but Gray could not say whether renewable energy sources would match the £9.4billion value of Scottish fossil fuels.
He added: "We need to work with the UK Government to ensure they recognise the opportunity from a net-zero, but also from an economic, perspective, of continuing to invest in the renewables sector in the same way that they invest in the nuclear sector, which is huge."
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