Is Burnham promising a new dawn for North Sea oil and gas?
The final weekend before Andy Burnham enters Downing Street is being dominated by suggestions he'll announce plans for new drilling in the North Sea. On
The final weekend before Andy Burnham enters Downing Street is being dominated by suggestions he'll announce plans for new drilling in the North Sea. On Saturday, the BBC reported the in-coming prime minister would stick to the party's 2024 manifesto pledge to issue no new oil and gas licences but would honour existing ones.
That line has been confirmed as the hours count down to the Burnham premiership. Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said Burnham would stick to the party's manifesto commitments, but there would be a "change of emphasis" on North Sea oil and gas. "We've been really clear that the way to achieve in the long term energy security and lower bills is by ensuring that we do have our own homegrown, clean, much cheaper energy," she said.
"But we've been absolutely clear that North Sea gas and oil is an important part of that transition. "It's an important part of the mix, and I think what Andy's talking about
is taking a more pragmatic approach and working with the industry to make sure that it can contribute to that [energy] transition and to the mix that is needed over the long term."
The BriefWire