Reform UK Pressures Miliband on North Sea Drilling
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- Reform UK is proposing new North Sea oil and gas licences as a way to cut fuel bills and is gaining support from some trade unions and sections of the media.
- Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, faces a political bind between Labour's green-first manifesto commitments and intensifying pressure from the right.
- Polling cited in the column found 38% of Greens support North Sea drilling while 33% oppose it, a reversal that signals even environmentally-minded voters are shifting.
- Miliband's decision not to attend a renewables transition conference in Colombia later this month has alarmed climate campaigners, who fear he may also soften his opposition to North Sea drilling.
- The Conservatives' 33rd licensing round, opened in October 2022, attracted bids on only about a quarter of available blocks, underscoring limited investor appetite for new North Sea exploration.
- Fresh North Sea drilling would take five to seven years for wells to become productive and would have zero immediate impact and minimal medium-term impact on consumer bills, according to the article's analysis.
- UK wind and solar power have been breaking records since the Middle East crisis began, according to Carbon Brief, reinforcing the column's argument that renewables offer the cheapest path to energy independence.
Why it matters: Miliband's green credentials are under genuine political threat: Reform UK is weaponising the Middle East energy crisis to argue fossil fuel expansion serves ordinary voters, and even Green voters are now split. Yet the article shows expanding North Sea drilling would do nothing for bills for at least five years, while renewable energy is already providing the cheapest path to independence and lower costs — making any Labour climbdown both politically futile and economically unnecessary.
