The Prime Minister is facing a growing internal backlash from Labour MPs after Treasury sources indicated Rachel Reeves is likely to give her backing for the proposed Rosebank development (Image: PA/Henry Nicholls)
WESTMINSTER politicians are reportedly at “breaking point” with Keir Starmer over the potential of approving a new oil and gas field in the North Sea.
The Prime Minister is facing a growing internal backlash from Labour MPs after Treasury sources indicated Rachel Reeves is likely to give her backing for the proposed Rosebank development.
MPs have reportedly called for Starmer to reiterate his own commitments to no further oil and gas licences.
Last week a judge ruled the Rosebank development, which was given the green light by the previous Tory administration, as unlawful following a legal challenge brought by Greenpeace and Uplift.
Previously the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, described the licence issued to Rosebank as “climate vandalism”.
Reeves is reportedly supportive of a new application for environmental consent for the North Sea development, despite Labour’s manifesto promising not to issue any new exploration licences.
MPs who are concerned about the climate emergency are reported to be likely to make their appeals directly to Keir Starmer about the importance of being seen to stand by the party’s manifesto commitment of no new oil and gas licences.
[Guardian] Exclusive: MPs and ministers say they would oppose Starmer if he tries to approve Rosebank development
Senior Labour figures are warning of a serious fight if Keir Starmer tries to give the go-ahead to a giant new oilfield off Shetland later this year.
MPs and ministers have told the Guardian they are prepared to oppose the UK prime minister should he try and give final consent to the Rosebank development, which is Britain’s biggest untapped oilfield.
Many in the party see the battle over Rosebank as the next front in the struggle between its environmental wing and those around Rachel Reeves who want to push for economic growth above all else. The chancellor signalled her support for a third runway at Heathrow this week as part of the government’s latest push to stimulate the economy.
One ally of the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who is leading the government’s climate agenda, said the former Labour leader would have a “punchy” response for any attempt to give consent to Rosebank. The ally said: “Ed will come to that fight armed with a lot of evidence about what Rosebank will do to our carbon emissions.”
A court has ruled that consent for two new Scottish oil and gas fields was granted unlawfully and their owners must seek fresh approval from the UK government before drilling can begin.
The written judgement on the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields came after a case brought by environmental campaigners, Uplift and Greenpeace, at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
In his judgement, Lord Ericht said a more detailed assessment of the fields’ environmental impact was required, taking into account the effect on the climate of burning any fossil fuels extracted.
He said work on both fields could continue while the new information was gathered but no oil and gas could be extracted unless fresh approval was granted.
Permission for the Rosebank oil development, 80 miles west of Shetland in the North Atlantic, was granted in autumn 2023.
In a 57-page judgement, Lord Ericht wrote that there was a public interest in having the decision “remade on a lawful basis” because of the effects of climate change – which he said outweighed the interests of the developers.
Reacting to the conclusion of COP29, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP said:
“This COP has tested the patience of everyone who wants to see the devastating climate crisis tackled.
“The final agreement is simply not good enough for the world’s poorest nations with too little money to deal with devastating impact of climate change, and the oil and gas lobby has succeeded in weakening the commitment made at the last COP to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels.
“We are half-way through a critical decade for action, and the devastation wrought through more floods, drought and wildfires is now obvious.
“The moral and scientific case for doing everything possible to meet the demands of the Paris climate agreement becomes stronger as the damage caused by every 0.1 degree rise becomes ever clearer.
“Now is the time for action. That means turning the limited financial pledges agreed at COP, which already fall far below the demands of the global South, into hard cash.
“That money – in the form of grants, not loans – needs to be available right now for adaptation and mitigation, alongside funding to cover the loss and damage already experienced by the poorest countries.
“The climate finance to fund the transition to a global green economy only makes sense if we move away from fossil fuels. Here, that means the Labour government ruling out the Rosebank development in the North Sea.
“Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shown commitment to the COP process by being one of the few leaders of richer countries to attend.
“Now, he needs to build on that foundation and take an international lead in defending the gains made through previous COPs in the face of what will be a relentless attack by fossil fuel companies backed by a climate denier in the White House from January next year.
“He must also take seriously the need to make the UK more resilient to changes in the climate that are already affecting us here.
“Climate action today is about creating a world tomorrow in which can meet people’s basic needs and enable people and nature to thrive.
“The UK government should back the call from international leaders for a reformed COP process in which the powerful fossil fuel lobby is excluded.
“The fossil fuel lobby has the self-interest to block the immediate action the people and planet need. They cannot be allowed to succeed.
“COP must become the forum that holds governments to account and pushes forward change, including supporting countries to adapt to the impacts of the crisis already being felt.
“A COP that excludes the fossil fuel companies and their lobbying arms while supporting representatives of countries and indigenous peoples most impacted by climate change can transform all our futures.”
