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Burnham defended Jackdaw approval and said the UK will stay on course for net zero
The prime minister said no new North Sea licences will be granted and reaffirmed the 2050 net-zero target. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh also said the Rosebank decision rests with her department alone.
UK prime minister Andy Burnham said Britain will remain on track for net zero by 2050 despite the approval of the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea. As reported by The Guardian, he said he would not walk away from the responsibility to confront the climate crisis and insisted his commitment remains firm.
Burnham said the government will not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new North Sea fields, keeping the pledge on which Labour was elected. At the same time, he defended the Jackdaw decision, arguing that in a period of global instability it makes sense to use domestic resources while the energy transition continues.
According to The Guardian, the prime minister said gas from Jackdaw will begin supplying homes and businesses this winter, and framed the move as part of a broader strategy to combine energy security, job protection and progress toward cleaner power. He also said the transition should not leave oil and gas workers behind, particularly in Scotland and Aberdeen.
In an article cited by the newspaper, Burnham pointed to the UK’s hottest summer on record and said the climate crisis is already directly affecting people’s lives and livelihoods. Against that backdrop, he reiterated that his government will stick to the country’s climate goals.
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the decision on the Rosebank oilfield will be hers alone. The Guardian reported that sources say she is minded to block it. Fahnbulleh said she has the legal responsibility to ensure the UK does not breach its climate commitments and warned that if colleagues overturn her, the issue could end up being overturned in court.
Fahnbulleh also expressed concern about the breakdown of political consensus on climate action, saying the effects of climate change are already being felt in jobs, communities and daily life. Burnham, meanwhile, backed the creation of an energy wealth fund to channel North Sea oil and gas tax revenues into clean-energy programmes. In his article, cited by The Guardian, he said the fund will begin with £2bn.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
