Khan presses Burnham on climate and North Sea drilling
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- Sadiq Khan, writing in the Guardian, urged Andy Burnham's administration to reaffirm its commitment to net zero and reduce UK reliance on oil and gas, citing a summer of droughts, wildfires and heatwaves as evidence of a worsening climate crisis.
- Andy Burnham has remained "tight-lipped" on climate since becoming prime minister, despite past support for the fossil fuel treaty as mayor of Greater Manchester; last month he said he would be "pragmatic" about oil and gas and that the question is where it comes from, not whether Britain uses it.
- Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is expected to decide on the Jackdaw gasfield and Rosebank oilfield in the coming weeks after emissions consultations conclude; both projects were approved under the Conservatives but paused following a court challenge by environmental groups.
- Labour MPs fear renewed North Sea drilling will alarm voters enduring extreme weather, particularly with a resurgent Green party attracting new support ahead of upcoming decisions.
- Nicholas Stern, professor at the London School of Economics, warned that "new drilling and decelerating climate action would be bad for growth and for energy security in the UK, and a damaging signal for the world."
- Khan argued the cross-party consensus on climate action has broken down, with opposition politicians and rightwing populists veering "wildly between denialism and fatalism," and said without urgent action "the worst is still to come."
Why it matters: Decisions on Jackdaw and Rosebank are expected within weeks, and Sadiq Khan, Labour MPs, and economist Nicholas Stern are pressing Burnham's government to uphold its net-zero commitment — warning new drilling would harm UK growth, energy security, and Labour's standing with voters drifting to the resurgent Greens.
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