Primal Scream among musicians calling on Andy Burnham to reject Rosebank

MORE than 200 musicians including Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie are urging Andy Burnham to reject the Rosebank oil field. Rosebank, off the coast of Shetland, is the largest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea and is being considered for approval by the UK Government, with a consultation period drawing to a close on Monday. But 211 artists including the likes of Massive Attack, The Cure's Robert Smith, Olly Alexander, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Brian Eno alongside Gillespie have signed an open letter to Burnham and his ministers calling on him to ditch the project for good following a summer of intense heat and devastating wildfires across the UK. READ MORE: Ex-BBC News director slams broadcaster's coverage of Reform policy Opposition to Rosebank has grown significantly since 118 artists wrote to Keir Starmer about Rosebank last year. The extreme weather has led to major live events being cancelled this summer due to the heat. The artists say the decision over Rosebank will "define Burnham's climate legacy" and argue it will do nothing to lower energy bills or provide energy security as the vast majority of its oil is destined for export. The artists have also reminded Burnham of his support for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as mayor of Greater Manchester. In June 2025, Burnham described the treaty as a "lifeline". Eno, co-founder of charity EarthPercent, said: “Andy Burnham has previously stood with artists and campaigners calling for an end to fossil fuel expansion. “So he has a choice to make. He can stand with the fossil fuel industry and approve Rosebank, or he can stand with the people who will live with the consequences of that decision. “We are already seeing what a hotter world looks like, with record heat and devastating wildfires across Britain and Europe. At this point, continuing to expand fossil fuel production isn’t pragmatism, it's a failure to face reality. READ MORE: Historic Skye ferry 'faces threat from millionaire absentee landowner’ “Let us hope he shows that same leadership now. The right decision is clear: reject Rosebank and invest in the clean, secure energy system we urgently need.” The National reported last week how emissions from Rosebank and Jackdaw would cause so many heat deaths it would be equivalent to killing more people than live in Inverness. Jackdaw gas field, 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, is also being considered for approval and alongside Rosebank would emit enough carbon to result in 65,495 excess deaths globally, Oxfam has said. The charity used the mortality cost of carbon formula, which estimates the number of excess deaths linked to CO2 output. This is based on predicted lifetime emissions of 254,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which would pump 35,800,000 tonnes into the atmosphere. The total figure is greater than Inverness’s population of 63,000 and the researchers said excess deaths would be spread globally over a span of decades. The chief of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has recently confirmed that reapproving Rosebank would have a minimal impact on UK energy security and would only reduce the UK’s dependence on gas imports by 1% if given the green light. Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “Giving permission to a climate-wrecking project like Rosebank would be reckless and indefensible. “All governments have the basic duty to protect our environment. Yet the frightening reality is that as the climate crisis gets worse, the UK and Scottish Government responses are getting weaker. “Andy Burnham’s first major climate test as Prime Minister was whether he would honour Labour’s manifesto, ruling out new drilling in the North Sea and standing up to climate-denying Donald Trump. He has already failed it. “He should have honoured his party’s manifesto, and immediately rejected Trump’s demand to open up the North Sea. It is more of the same short-term thinking that has failed Scotland’s workers and communities for decades." Share