Thom Yorke, Romy and Brian Eno among 200 musicians urging PM to reject new North Sea drilling
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- 211 musicians, including Thom Yorke, Romy, Brian Eno, Massive Attack, the Cure's Robert Smith, Bobby Gillespie and Olly Alexander, signed a letter to the Prime Minister demanding rejection of the Rosebank oilfield, warning most extracted oil would be exported rather than lowering UK energy bills.
- Rosebank oilfield, located roughly 80 miles north-west of the Shetland Islands, could produce an estimated 250 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime — equivalent to 70% of the UK's annual emissions, according to environmental campaigners.
- Adura, the company behind Rosebank and the Jackdaw gasfield off Aberdeen, says the twin projects would deliver £10.8 billion in investment and support 3,500 jobs at peak construction, plus 880 employees across their production lifetime.
- Government consultations on Rosebank and Jackdaw closed this week, leaving Labour ministers to decide whether to approve drilling after the previous Conservative government's approvals were quashed following a Greenpeace legal challenge over climate assessments.
- Brian Eno, co-founder of campaign group EarthPercent, said the PM could 'stand with the fossil fuel industry and approve Rosebank, or stand with the people who will live with the consequences,' while Stop Rosebank's Suzi Shingler noted 'radio silence' from the government on climate amid UK wildfires.
- The Met Office confirmed the UK is on course for its hottest summer since records began, with extreme heat driving more than 2.4 million hospital emergency department attendances per month in May, June and July — the three highest monthly totals ever recorded.
- The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero defended the North Sea as 'a vital national asset,' stating oil and gas 'will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power.'
Why it matters: With Labour ministers now deciding Rosebank's fate after courts forced climate reassessments, the letter from 211 high-profile artists adds direct cultural pressure against a project that could emit 250 million tonnes of CO2 — equivalent to 70% of the UK's annual output — while Adura argues it would deliver £10.8 billion and thousands of jobs.
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