Labour MPs accuse Andy Burnham of hypocrisy over North Sea drilling ban

Labour MPs have accused Andy Burnham of hypocrisy over his ban on drilling for new oil and gas in the UK. The Prime Minister has backed an energy bill that would put into law a prohibition on more exploration in the North Sea. In response, Labour backbenchers said it was “hypocritical” for Mr Burnham to be prepared to import gas while opposing drilling in the North Sea. Energy exploration in the UK is subject to the temporary moratorium originally imposed by Ed Miliband , the former energy secretary.

While the drilling of the Jackdaw gas field and the Rosebank oil field had been formally approved under the previous government, legal wrangling has forced developers to go back for reapproval. Jackdaw was given the green light last month, but Miatta Fahnbulleh, Mr Miliband’s successor, is understood to be minded to reject approving the Rosebank project. Mr Burnham is also supporting new legislation introduced by Ms Fahnbulleh that would make it harder to reopen the North Sea by requiring a parliamentary majority to repeal the ban. ‘Energy security is national security’ On Thursday, Henry Tufnell, Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, accused the Prime Minister of “an act of self-harm”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are prepared to import fat gas from the US, we’re prepared to import gas that has been drilled in Norway, but we are not prepared to drill our own oil and gas in the North Sea and bring in the economic benefits from tax receipts and support jobs there – there is a hypocrisy there that I really struggle to get my head around.” Mr Tufnell added: “We think that energy security is national security, we think it can bring huge benefits for economic growth and ultimately protect lots of jobs.

“The Labour Party was born of the industrial revolution, it’s the party of industry and there are lots of communities, jobs, livelihoods that rely on this industry.” Mr Tufnell and Steve Yemm, the Labour MP for Mansfield, have founded the cross-party Industry First pressure group to support new oil and gas drilling. Challenged on Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto commitment not to issue any new licences, Mr Tufnell insisted that his party needed to adapt to an “ever-changing world”.

He said: “I think the important thing to recognise here is the fact that we’ve got conflict in the Middle East, we have conflict in Ukraine. We live in a world where energy security has rocketed up the geopolitical agenda as a result of these threats and we have to respond accordingly. I find the whole thing very strange.”