John Swinney has urged Andy Burnham to ring-fence a new fund derived from North Sea revenues to support the renewables transition in the north-east of Scotland .

In a letter to the Prime Minister , the Scottish First Minister said he supports the energy wealth fund, which was announced alongside the approval of the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen.

But he pushed for the cash – which has opened with £2 billion of UK Government funding – to be focused in and around the city, which is considered the energy capital of Europe.

“My clear view is that, given the distribution of North Sea oil and gas resources, any such fund should be prioritised for offshore renewable opportunities and be ring-fenced to be focused on the north-east of Scotland,” he wrote.

The UK Government has approved plans to begin drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.

Speaking to the Press Association from a trade mission in India, the First Minister added: “My simple point is that there is an energy transition to be undertaken…