# Scottish Labour's new leader backs North Sea oil

> Michael Marra wins party leadership and immediately backs two contested fossil fuel projects.
- Title: Scottish Labour's new leader backs North Sea oil | Shortify
- Summary: Michael Marra wins party leadership and immediately backs two contested fossil fuel projects. Scottish Labour's new leader is backing North Sea oil…
- Keywords: michael marra, scottish labour, rosebank oilfield, jackdaw gasfield, north sea oil, scottish politics, holyrood, anas sarwar, snp, scottish independence, energy policy, news
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/19/michael-marra-elected-as-scottish-labour-leader
- Published: 2026-09-19T12:52:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michael marra, scottish labour, rosebank oilfield, jackdaw gasfield, north sea oil, scottish politics, holyrood, anas sarwar, snp, scottish independence, energy policy, news
## Labour leader backs North Sea oil
Michael Marra, newly elected Scottish Labour leader, immediately backed development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields, calling for a more rational energy policy.

> I want Rosebank and Jackdaw to be approved. It's the biggest issue in my region in terms of people's voting intention.
## Marra wins party leadership
The MSP for North East Scotland won nearly two-thirds of the vote to become Scottish Labour's 11th leader, replacing Anas Sarwar who resigned in July.
## Labour's Scottish collapse
Scottish Labour won just 17 seats in May's election, its worst result ever. The party has lost seats at every Holyrood election since devolution in 1999.
## Marra's challenge: reconnect with voters
Marra said Labour had focused too much on middle-class voters and lost touch with working-class Scots. He vowed to rebuild a broader coalition centred on Scotland's needs.

> Scots know what we are against. They can't tell you what we are for.
## Oil projects already in the pipeline
Rosebank and Jackdaw are exempt from the government's ban on new North Sea drilling licences because their applications were submitted before Labour took power.
## Academics warn of deeper problems
University researchers say Scottish Labour must address why it lost working-class voters and failed to articulate a vision for Scotland beyond opposing independence.
## Independence not a priority now
Marra said the SNP's failure to win an outright majority in May showed voters don't want a second independence referendum, so Labour will focus on a stronger Scotland within the UK.
## Key takeaway

Scottish Labour's new leader is backing North Sea oil development as a priority, signalling the party's shift toward economic pragmatism over environmental concerns.