North Sea oil industry faces years of Brexit-induced turmoil

London

THE UK's North Sea oil and gas industry, already reeling from low prices, high costs and collapsing investment, now faces several years of turmoil as the nation's decision to quit the European Union looks set to trigger a second independence vote in Scotland.

A poll on Scottish independence from the UK was defeated in 2014, but after voters there overwhelmingly backed the losing side in the referendum on EU membership a new vote is "very much on the table", Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on June 26. This leaves the North Sea oil and gas industry, the bulk of which is in Scottish waters, potentially facing years of uncertainty and political paralysis.