Pressure is mounting on incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to clarify the UK’s future approach to North Sea oil and gas, with Scottish Conservative MPs warning that further delays could put thousands of jobs at risk.
The intervention comes ahead of Burnham’s expected move into Downing Street next week, with uncertainty remaining over whether the new government will alter Labour’s current position on new North Sea developments.
Six Scottish Conservative representatives from the North East have written jointly to Burnham urging him to approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields, describing the decision as time critical for Scotland’s energy sector.
The MPs argue that the projects are essential for protecting employment, strengthening energy security and supporting the wider economy.
The issue remains politically divisive, with more than 80 MPs and MSPs from several political parties having previously signed a pledge opposing approval for the Rosebank development.
Those signatories include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman and SNP MP Chris Law.
The Scottish Conservatives argue that previous government decisions have already delayed both projects and say further uncertainty risks damaging confidence across the industry.
Scottish Conservative MP for Aberdeen South Douglas Lumsden said:
“We’ve written to Andy Burnham to make it painfully clear there are tens of thousands of jobs on the line if he continues down the same path as Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband.
“If Miliband ends up having Burnham’s ear in government, I doubt he will allow that strict, inflexible road to net zero to be ripped up.
“These fields are huge for energy security in the UK, for our economy and for job security in Scotland.
“Voters in Aberdeen South made it overwhelmingly clear that they have had enough of Labour and the SNP’s reckless anti oil and gas policies.
“Jackdaw should have been producing this year and Rosebank shortly after.
“Precious time has already been lost due to dogma, and thousands of jobs with it.”
The Rosebank and Jackdaw projects have become central to the wider debate over the future of the North Sea, balancing climate commitments against employment, energy security and investment in Scotland’s offshore industry.
Whether the incoming Prime Minister chooses to change course could have significant implications for communities and businesses that rely on the sector across the north east and the Highlands.
