Labour MPs tell Burnham: leave Rosebank to Fahnbulleh — SkimNews
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- Labour MPs are lobbying Andy Burnham and John Healey not to overrule Miatta Fahnbulleh if she blocks Rosebank; sources close to Healey say the chancellor favors the scheme.
- Miatta Fahnbulleh has not decided Rosebank; aides told MPs she is the sole decision-maker, no other minister has a role and no one else sees the advice.
- Andy Burnham says Rosebank is Fahnbulleh’s decision alone, while also arguing that UK reserves can accelerate a clean-energy future—the logic his government cited when approving Jackdaw last week.
- Treasury says expected Rosebank tax receipts of about £500m by the end of this parliament have been included in OBR forecasts since 2019, and insists those assumptions do not determine Fahnbulleh’s decision.
- Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts include Rosebank alongside producing fields such as Jackdaw and future discoveries; without any new fields, oil and gas production would decline by around 14% a year.
- Catherine Fookes says Labour MPs accepted the case for extracting Jackdaw gas for domestic consumption but that Rosebank is different; MPs say approval would bring a significant parliamentary rebellion.
- Greenpeace UK says Rosebank revenues tie public services to future oil prices and leave taxpayers facing decommissioning and climate costs; Uplift’s analysis found likely tax breaks and incentives could outweigh the tax take.
Why it matters: Rosebank pits Labour’s green manifesto against about £500m in projected tax receipts already embedded in OBR forecasts. With Fahnbulleh insisting the decision is hers while sources report Healey supports the scheme, the split carries a concrete political cost: MPs say approval would trigger a significant parliamentary rebellion.
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