Halloween protest at Bute House over Peterhead gas plant approval

Environmental campaigners staged a Halloween-themed protest outside Bute House in Edinburgh on Saturday, 31 October 2026, over the Scottish Government’s decision to give the go-ahead for a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.

Bute House, on Charlotte Square, is the official residence of Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney. Climate groups gathered outside it wearing Halloween masks and carrying placards reading “fossil fuel ghouls” and “this decision will haunt you”. Some of the protesters sat on the steps of the residence.

The protest also followed the UK Government’s announcement that the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen would be allowed to go ahead. Campaigners said burning fossil fuels is the key driver of extreme weather such as recent storms, record heat and flooding, and called the Peterhead decision a “catastrophic failure”.

Kate Whitaker, head of movement building at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Fossil fuels are scary because of the harm they are already causing to millions of people.” She said the decision was “a catastrophic failure from the Scottish Government to protect people from both climate breakdown and the increasing burden of household energy bills.”

Why it matters

The protest puts a spotlight on the tension between new fossil fuel approvals and Scotland’s climate targets. The Scottish Government says it remains committed to reaching net zero by 2045, but campaigners argue that approving a new gas-burning power station — shortly after the UK Government backed the Jackdaw gas field — points in the opposite direction.

The campaigners also linked the decision to household energy bills, arguing that people should instead be helped with warmer homes, reliable bus services and green jobs. For the Scottish Government, the row is a test of whether it can present new gas projects as compatible with its climate promises.

What happens next

The Scottish Government has not announced any change to the Peterhead decision. A spokesperson said the government remained “unwavering in our commitment to tackle climate change” and to achieve net zero by 2045, and said the full grounds for the decision were set out in the decision letter.

Campaigners are expected to keep pressing the government over the Peterhead plant and the Jackdaw field, and the approvals are likely to remain a focus of debate over Scotland’s energy and climate policy in the weeks ahead.

Sources

• https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-protesters-stage-spooky-demonstration-34844485 (Edinburgh Live, 31 October 2026)
• https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/national/26687130.environmentalists-stage-halloween-demonstration-scary-fossil-fuels/ (The Oldham Times / PA, 31 October 2026)
• https://nen.press/fossil-fuels-are-scary-protest-outside-bute-house/ (North Edinburgh News, 31 October 2026)

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.