President Trump sparked celebrations in Aberdeen with a post on his Truth Social platform declaring that the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, “will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil”. He said it would be “a big day” for the UK. But the reality is more complex.
Burnham, entering Downing Street this week, has confirmed he will stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge to issue no new oil and gas licences, but will honour existing ones. Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg there would be “a change of emphasis” on North Sea oil and gas, describing it as “an important part of that transition” to clean energy.
“Burnham set to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw drilling, despite no new licences pledge.”
City A.M. reports that Burnham’s team has asked the civil service to draw up plans to approve drilling projects at the Jackdaw gas field and Rosebank oil field within days of taking office. However, the BBC says the new prime minister will not confirm approval for those fields on day one. The operators of Rosebank and Jackdaw were given the go-ahead by the previous Conservative government, but those decisions are being reconsidered because of a successful legal challenge from environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift. They argued ministers had not considered the full climate impact from burning the fossil fuels the fields would produce.
Both applications are subject to consultations that close in August, and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (Opred) is still reviewing them. Jumping the gun on those consultations, the BBC notes, would certainly land the government back in legal trouble.
The Financial Times reports that Burnham will maintain the ban on new exploration licences, a decision criticised by the oil and gas industry and trade unions.
How Burnham squares his manifesto promise with the push to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw will become clearer in the coming days. For now, Trump’s premature celebration may be just that – premature.
