Burnham shifts on North Sea oil amid Trump-backed drilling push
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- North Sea oil has declined to 15% of its peak output by 2030, with production forecast to drop 99% by 2050 even without new licences, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
- Burnham, now prime minister, took a 'pragmatic' stance on North Sea drilling, backing away from his prior support for a fossil fuel treaty and raising doubts about Labour’s no-new-licences policy.
- Trump claimed the North Sea holds '500 years of oil and gas reserves,' a statement dismissed by energy experts and geologists as baseless given the basin’s documented decline since 2000.
- Reform UK and Conservative leaders — Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch — are pushing for massive North Sea drilling expansion, framing it as essential for energy self-sufficiency and security.
- Miatta Fahnbulleh, the new energy secretary, echoed Burnham’s pragmatism, despite her previous climate advocacy, as government consultations on Jackdaw and Rosebank projects conclude.
- Uplift called the push for more drilling a 'dangerous fantasy,' noting that North Sea oil mostly exports abroad and has negligible impact on UK energy bills or security.
- Steve Pye of University College London stressed that the North Sea’s decline is irreversible, with no credible prospect of reversing output drops despite political rhetoric.
Why it matters: Burnham’s shift risks alienating climate allies who expected a clean energy transition, while failing to deliver meaningful energy independence — since North Sea reserves are too small to lower bills or cut imports, and 97–99% depletion is expected regardless of new licences. The move prioritizes short-term political cover over material outcomes.
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