The new Labour leader Andy Barnam will announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea when he becomes prime minister on Monday, the BBC reported today.
Barnam was officially declared the leader of the ruling British Labour Party yesterday, removing the last obstacle to his assuming the office of prime minister next week. He will take over from Keir Starmer, who resigned after pressure from the party and the public due to a series of missteps and poor decisions.
In the Labour Party’s 2024 manifesto, which the new leader said he would follow, it was promised that no new licenses for oil and gas drilling would be issued, but that existing ones would be respected, the BBC points out.
At the center of the debate are two oil and gas fields in Scotland—Rosebank and Jackdaw—which regulators approved in 2022 and 2023 under the then-Conservative government, but were overturned in 2025 after being challenged in court.
The announcement of drilling approval will be part of a series of measures Barnam will present, including plans to bring water and energy companies under public control, as well as a new program for the construction of social housing.
He is also expected to present new measures aimed at giving people relief from the cost of living and intends, as he said, to make a dynamic start focused on „delivering tangible changes in people’s lives as soon as possible.“
Although the details of the new oil and gas plans are unclear, the debate over the North Sea has been ongoing for a long time, and outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer was criticized for opposing drilling. He argued that new licenses would not mean cheaper energy for consumers and that the transition to renewable sources was more important for ensuring future energy supply.
The Conservatives and the Reform UK party pressured Starmer to approve additional drilling and said it was „reckless“ for the country not to use its own resources at a time when the war in Iran has driven up energy prices.
Starmer’s approach was also criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called for the opening of North Sea oil and said via social media before Starmer’s resignation that he had performed very poorly on energy policy.
Some Labour MPs called on the government to adopt a more liberal approach, warning that the transition away from oil and gas must protect jobs and energy costs. But others supported the government’s approach, arguing that expanding renewable energy is key to improving energy security and reducing the impact on climate change.
The current energy minister, Ed Miliband, who will likely receive a senior role in Barnam’s government, firmly supports the position in the Labour manifesto.
Earlier this week, before the deadline for party leadership nominations, Barnam received a letter from the oil and gas industry and unions calling on him and other Labour MPs to support oil and gas in the North Sea.
The letter stated that support for the oil and gas industry is a sign that the country remains committed to production and development.
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