Andy Burnham has insisted Labour’s “determination is unwavering” to achieve Net Zero by 2050, despite the approval of the Jackdaw gas field.
The Government’s backing of the site opens the door to drilling in the North Sea and aims to supply gas to British businesses and homes as early as this month.
The site, off the coast of Aberdeen, is one of two North Sea projects, alongside the Rosebank oil field, that have hung over Labour since the previous Tory Government was halted by a legal challenge.
Writing in The Guardian overnight, the Prime Minister vowed his Government would not “abandon the responsibility” of Net Zero.
“There has been much speculation about what this announcement means for Britain’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis,” he told the newspaper. “I want to be clear that our determination is unwavering.”
Mr Burnham said he is “personally committed to confronting” the challenges of environmental issues, adding: “Britain has just emerged from its hottest summer on record, during which we had nurses collapsing on hospital wards, bus drivers working in intolerable conditions and families losing everything to wildfires.
“More extreme weather is forecast in the months ahead. The climate crisis is no distant threat.
“It is here, on our doorstep, affecting people’s lives and livelihoods.
“I am personally committed to confronting it, and I will not abandon the responsibility we have to future generations.”
The Prime Minister also said it “makes sense to responsibly use our resources here at home,” vowing energy from the field to be “heating our homes and powering our businesses this winter.”
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