Labour approves drilling after months of speculation

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he “welcomes” the approval, which will protect “hundreds of jobs” and keep “millions of homes warm this winter”.

He said: “At a time when people are really struggling, it’s right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help.

“We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050. But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come.”

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has confirmed that the approved Jackdaw gas field will begin to supply Britons as soon as “this winter”.

She said in a statement: “Following careful consideration of all relevant factors, I have agreed that the regulator can grant consent for gas to be produced at Jackdaw, which will begin to supply the UK with gas from this winter thanks to the highly skilled and vital North Sea workers.”

Alongside Jackdaw being greenlit, Chancellor John Healey has announced a new Energy Wealth Fund.

The fund will use tax revenues from North Sea oil and gas to invest in renewable and low carbon energy projects and support the green transition.

Mr Healey said of the new scheme: “I want Britain’s energy wealth to spark a new wave of clean power to work for the British people.

“Since North Sea gas and oil were discovered decades ago, the benefit of our existing nation’s natural resources have not been turned into the long-term investment our country needs.

“Through our new Energy Wealth Fund, we will invest in the clean energy industries of the future, creating jobs, driving growth and strengthening Britain’s energy security.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the length of time taken by the Labour Government to reach a decision on the gas field.

She said Labour spent two years “faffing about to make a decision” which the Conservative Government had already approved.

She said: “If they’d done this in the summer, we’d have had that gas heating British homes this Christmas. An unnecessary waste of time and money by a party that puts its own interest above the country’s.”

Echoing Mrs Badenoch, Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie told GB News there is “a lot more to be done”.

Protesters from Fossil Free London have also descended on the Department of Energy in central London to oppose the move, chanting: “Hey Andy, stop gas and oil. Keep that carbon in the soil.”

Director of Fossil Free London Robin Wells said: “This decision is salted with the tears of every Nepalese person who saw someone they loved swept away in a river tsunami and it’s stained with the blood of everyone in Valencia who died as cars afloat in mud, sewage and enough rainwater for a year collided into their bodies in streets that had become rivers.

“Although we cannot right now hear people in Australia, LA and Portugal crying in fear as their homes and worlds burn, these are the knock-on consequences of corporations that continue to drill fossil fuels and the governments that permit it, knowing the damage caused.

“Our government must not double down on madness now. They must not lap-up industry propaganda again for the next North Sea project in their in-tray. If they believe in a future that protects people’s homes and safety, not endangers them, they must stop Rosebank.”