Burnham faces pressure on North Sea oil and gas approvals

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 15:08 · Archive

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is under pressure to approve new North Sea oil and gas drilling at Jackdaw and Rosebank.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces mounting pressure to approve new North Sea oil and gas drilling at the Jackdaw gas field and Rosebank oil field, which would be operated mainly by Shell and Equinor. Both sites were approved by the former Conservative government but Labour campaigned in 2024 on a manifesto pledging not to issue new licences for oil and gas drilling.

Burnham told MPs he would take a 'pragmatic approach' on oil and gas. He attributed delays to 'government process', noting that the Conservative government's decisions were struck down by courts and the process had to be fixed. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is expected to decide on the drilling approvals within weeks, balancing growth effects against environmental commitments. Consultations on both sites ended in August.

Tory MP Andrew Bowie urged Burnham to use a planned visit to Scotland to approve the projects, claiming that 1,000 workers a month are losing jobs because of the government's approach. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called on Burnham to 'stop faffing about'. Equinor chief executive Anders Opedal said rejections would be a 'major setback' for the country's attractiveness to investors.

How it is being reported

• Andy Burnham says decision on Rosebank and Jackdaw coming ‘shortly’. But will it lower UK energy bills?The controversial Rosebank and Jackdaw fields were given the green light in 2022 and 2023, but the plans were later ruled as being ‘unlawfully approved’The Independent · 14 Oct, 15:56
• Burnham complains Jackdaw and Rosebank approval delayed by ‘government process’Approval for more oil and gas drilling at the North Sea sites Jackdaw and Rosebank have been delayed by “government process” and lengthy bureaucratic wrangling, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. Burnham told MPs that he would take a “pragmatic approach” on oil and gas drilling amid calls from energy bosses for drilling to go [...]City AM · 14 Oct, 14:56
• Andy Burnham urged to end North Sea drilling 'dither' as he prepares for major Scotland visitAndy Burnham has been urged to back new oil and gas drilling when he visits Scotland later this week.Daily Mail · 13 Oct, 20:03

In this story: Andy Burnham · Miatta Fahnbulleh · Andrew Bowie · Kemi Badenoch · Shell · Equinor · North Sea

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem