Labour Urged to Ignore ‘Eco-Zealots’ and Back New Drilling

Labour has been urged to resist pressure from environmental campaigners and proceed with drilling at Britain’s largest undeveloped oil field.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh was expected to reject plans for the Rosebank field, only hours after giving the go-ahead to production at the Jackdaw gas project.

Trade union leaders and Labour MPs calling for oil extraction to continue received backing from Donald Trump, who urged the UK to go “full blast” in developing its North Sea resources.

However, Ms Fahnbulleh indicated that Rosebank was likely to be turned down, arguing that the two developments should not be assessed using identical criteria.

Climate campaigners oppose Rosebank on the grounds that its projected emissions would be roughly seven times higher than those associated with the Jackdaw site.

Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary and former energy secretary, is understood to be firmly against the proposed drilling. Ms Fahnbulleh said: “One is a gas field that caters for the domestic market, while the other is an oil field that is mainly for export.

“It is right that we judge each application on its own merits, and it is absolutely critical that the decision is consistent with our climate obligations, our carbon budgets and the destination we need to reach through the energy transition.”

Ms Fahnbulleh has already faced criticism from Labour MPs on the Left over her decision to approve Jackdaw, which could begin delivering gas to British homes and businesses within weeks.

Once fully operational, Jackdaw could supply 6 per cent of North Sea gas production, deliver an estimated £2.9 billion boost to the economy and help safeguard jobs.

Ms Fahnbulleh acknowledged, however, that the project would not lower household energy bills. Instead, she said, it would strengthen energy security amid the war in the Middle East.

Unions welcomed the decision to approve Jackdaw. Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB, said the Government deserved “real credit” for backing the project.

But he called on ministers to go further by approving Rosebank as well—an outcome likely to trigger a much more contentious debate.

Rosebank is a substantially larger development, with estimated reserves of between 300 million and 500 million barrels of oil. It could account for around 8 per cent of UK oil production.

Campaigners say the emissions generated by Rosebank’s oil would ultimately be seven times greater than those linked to gas production at Jackdaw.

Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has previously told Andy Burnham that he supports Rosebank drilling, arguing that the project would provide a boost to Scotland’s economy.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, also welcomed the Jackdaw approval and has previously pressed the Government to back Rosebank.

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Scottish Labour MP Graeme Downie posted that he was “glad” Jackdaw had been approved, adding that the UK would continue to need oil and gas for decades to come.

Neil McCulloch, chief executive of Adura, the company part-owned by Shell that is behind both projects, said he believed that Rosebank would also be approved.

‘Jackdaw represents a significant prize in its own right: £2.1billion of investment and enough gas to heat the equivalent of around 1.4million UK homes at peak production. Our attention now turns to Rosebank. The case for approval is equally strong.’

Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for more exploration of the North Sea, said the decision on Jackdaw was ‘great news’. 

The US President posted on Truth Social: ‘The U.K. has started drilling in the North Sea, one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of OIL in the World.

‘They should go FULL BLAST!!! This will make the U.K. very wealthy again. TAKE DOWN THE COSTLY AND RIDICULOUS WINDMILLS!’

The Tories called for Rosebank to be approved, with shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie saying the move would boost national security.

Writing in Our News Outlet he said: ‘At a time of such geopolitical uncertainty, with over 80 per cent of UK households relying on gas heating, it is in the national interest to maximise our own North Sea resources and reduce our reliance on expensive, dirtier imports.’ 

While Labour’s 2024 manifesto committed to issuing no new oil and gas licences for the North Sea, Jackdaw and Rosebank had already received approval. The decisions by the Conservatives were overturned by a legal challenge and fresh assessments completed.

Ms Fahnbulleh has received considerable flak from some Labour MPs over Jackdaw. 

Hard-Left MP Richard Burgon said it was an ‘absolutely terrible decision’, while Alex Sobel said it would give ‘mixed messages’ on climate change. Chris Hinchcliff co-ordinated a letter from Left-wing MPs urging the Government not to approve Rosebank.

Environmental campaigners protested outside the Energy Department and the Greens accused Labour of ‘climate vandalism’. They urged the Prime Minister not to give permission for Rosebank which is the next decision the Energy Secretary must make.

Mr Burnham said: ‘We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy. But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come. 

That’s why we’re taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea.’ Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour should have taken the decision to approve Jackdaw earlier instead of ‘faffing about’.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said it was ‘shameful’ that the Energy Secretary was not in Parliament to make a statement on the decision.

Asked whether the Energy Secretary’s comments indicated that she was unlikely to approve Rosebank, a spokesman said each project would be ‘assessed on its own merits’.