Andy Burnham reaffirms UK net-zero target after Jackdaw gasfield approval
The prime minister says the UK will reach net zero by 2050 and will issue no new North Sea licences, while defending gas production from Jackdaw. Rosebank remains undecided.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on 22 October that the UK would meet its 2050 net-zero target and approve no new North Sea licences, despite the government’s approval of the Jackdaw gasfield off Aberdeen. His pledge sets out the government’s position as it faces a separate decision on the Rosebank oilfield.
Burnham said he would not ‘abandon the responsibility’ to fight the climate crisis, and described the government’s determination as unwavering. The Guardian reported that his comments followed pressure from industry, political opponents and some Labour MPs to weaken Labour’s commitments on new oil and gas licences and net zero.
Why Burnham defended Jackdaw
Burnham argued that using gas produced in Britain made sense amid global instability while the country moves toward cleaner energy. He said gas from Jackdaw would heat homes and power businesses this winter, and linked the decision to providing oil and gas workers with a path into new jobs. He also pointed to the effects of earlier industrial decline on places whose workers had been left behind.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh backed Jackdaw, allowing the North Sea Transition Authority to approve the scheme, according to a Press Association report carried by the Evening Standard. That report said supply was expected to begin at the end of October. It put the field about 150 miles east of Aberdeen and said the approval was expected to lift domestic gas production by around 6% at its peak, safeguard hundreds of jobs and deliver an estimated £2.9 billion economic boost. Those figures are projections associated with the approval.
Rosebank decision remains with energy secretary
Attention now turns to Rosebank, a separate oilfield proposal. Fahnbulleh said she alone would decide whether to approve it and had a legal responsibility to ensure the UK did not breach its climate commitments, The Guardian reported. She said the process must be conducted properly, warning that an attempt by colleagues to overturn her decision could itself be overturned in court.
The company behind both projects has called for Rosebank to be approved, according to the Press Association report. Fahnbulleh had not announced a decision on Rosebank in the reporting available on 22 October. Her pending decision leaves a significant test of how the government applies its stated climate commitments to North Sea projects.
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Sources and context
- Andy Burnham vows UK will hit net zero target despite Jackdaw gasfield approvalThe Guardian (Jessica Elgot and Alexandra Topping; includes Burnham’s first-person Guardian article)
- Attention moves to Rosebank as Andy Burnham defends Jackdaw approvalEvening Standard, reporting credited to PA Wire / Press Association Political Staff
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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