Rosebank oil and gas field

This is what people think he's going to do.

Say yes to Jack Dorr, maybe say no to Rosebank.

We don't know about Rosebank.

That's a slightly separate issue.

But on the conference floor, there was kind of mixed opinions.

Absolutely.

Rosebank, the oil field?

Well, that hasn't passed the climate change tests yet.

At the moment, the jury is very much out on that.

The family of Noah Woods have been informed of this development.

Climate scientists, health professionals and conservationists are making fresh calls for the Prime Minister to reject applications for new drilling licences for the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea.

In a letter to Andy Burnham and the Energy Secretary Miata Fanbulla, the group of experts have warned against approving the oil field, arguing the decision would fly in the face of climate science and see the UK breach its national and international climate commitments.

Following the decision to pause local government reorganisation as a warning the review must lead to a material change in direction or flagship reforms and devolution will be undermined.

A reference to the election next month in the London constituency vacated by the former Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

The minister didn't comment on the contest, but said there'd be a decision on Jackdaw and Rosebank in due course

We will not rush this process.

We will do this process properly in order to ensure the best outcome for people across the country and for workers in the North Sea.

Do we know why Andy Burnham has delayed this decision on Jackdaw?

Well, the Jackdaw and, um, Rosebank oil fields have got to go through a proper judicial process.

There is reams of evidence that, um, the Secretary of State for Net Zero and Energy has to, to look through to make that conclusion.

Um, I don't think there is any suggestion that there's been any kind of deliberate delay on it.

What's happening is that, um, the Secretary of State is going through that formal legalized process, and when she gets to the end of it, she'll make a decision on whether to consent Jackdaw, and then I think, um, separately when she goes through the same process on Rosebank as well.

Well, the government has confirmed that they have delayed the decision-making until the end of October.

Make of that what you will.

This is a man who, uh, has gambled a huge amount, uh, whether in the Makefield by-election, and has been incredibly clear, clear as prime minister at what he wants to achieve for the country.

Just picking up briefly on another issue that, uh, Mims raised.

There's currently a race to be the new leader of Scottish Labour, and the two candidates have both called for new drilling licenses in the North Sea to be approved as soon as possible, the Rosebank Oil and Jackdaw gas fields.

Do you agree with them?

Uh, I, I think there is a very compelling case to, to do that, but I think it's gotta be done in, in the wider context still, still accepting scientific precedent that the, that we are warming and fossil fuels are causing that warming.

We'll definitely go for Jackdaw.

We'll look at Rosebank." Um, these two oil-

The oil and gas fields

... oil and gas fields in the North Sea that have been held up, and legal challenges and consultations, but now, you know, the energy secretary has an opportunity to push them through.

... energy policy debate.

And it's interesting that Ed Miliband clearly, as Alva's saying, is an important player in all of that going forward.

But also interesting on that, the difference between Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer in terms of how sort of light-footed he is politically because over the summer I was picking up a lot of concern among Labour MPs about maybe approving Rosebank oil field, which is the more controversial of the two, and was preparing a piece on it, and I was thinking, "This is gonna be really tricky for Andy Burnham", you know, when he, when he gets back to Parliament.

We, we, you know, he was sending signals during The Makerfield by-election and stuff that he was gonna maybe look to approve both of them.

Yet fast forward four years later and sources say she is poised to approve extraction at a controversial new gas field in the North Sea this month, the Jackdaw Field off the coast of Aberdeen.

Separately, the Rosebank Oil Field, also off the coast of Aberdeen, had been approved for drilling under the previous Conservative government.

A legal challenge was brought in 2024, which argued that consent was given without fully considering the impact of burning the fossil fuels which would be produced.

The previous decisions were ruled unlawful and sent back to the regulator to be taken again.