Daily Mail, on Climate, 30 July 2026

The Daily Mail turns Andy Burnham's remark that "there is a resource there" into an admission that drilling "CAN ease cost of living", a claim he never made and which the article's own quoted campaigner says the evidence does not bear out. It states as settled fact in its own voice that opening up the North Sea would boost the economy, and lets Donald Trump's claim that Britain "will be really rich" close the piece unchallenged. It also labels Ed Miliband a "Net Zero fanatic" and climate campaigners "the Net Zero lobby" in its own voice.

8.2

Serious

out of 10

What we found

  1. Headline goes beyond the article

    Serious

    “Burnham admits oil drilling CAN ease cost of living”

    What the words do
    The word "admits" and the capitalised "CAN" tell the reader the Prime Minister has conceded a fact about drilling and living costs.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That Burnham accepted that new North Sea drilling would ease the cost of living.
    What is actually the case
    The only words of Burnham's in the article are that there is a resource and that "we can't ignore that" when people are struggling, plus a promise of a "pragmatic approach". He makes no claim about easing living costs, and a campaigner quoted in the piece says the drilling-and-bills claim is not borne out by the evidence.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“When people are struggling we can't ignore that.”
    • Elsewhere in the article“simply isn't borne out by the evidence”

    Show it in the article

    “new PM concedes 'Britain can't ignore' resources in North Sea”

    What the words do
    Puts the phrase "Britain can't ignore" inside quotation marks as the Prime Minister's words.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That Burnham said Britain cannot ignore North Sea resources.
    What is actually the case
    The article quotes him saying "we can't ignore that", about a resource, when people are struggling. The headline's quoted phrase is not what the article reports him saying.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“When people are struggling we can't ignore that.”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Burnham says he will take a "pragmatic approach" to the North Sea, telling reporters "there is a resource there" and that "we can't ignore that" when people are struggling. He did not say new drilling would reduce living costs.

  2. States one side's claim as fact

    Serious

    “he admitted that North Sea oil revenues could ease the cost of living”

    What the words do
    In the Daily Mail's own voice, "admitted" presents the link between drilling revenues and living costs as an established fact that Burnham has now conceded.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the cost-of-living benefit of drilling is agreed, and only Labour has been refusing to say so.
    What is actually the case
    Burnham's quoted words make no such claim, and the article itself carries Uplift's statement that the claim about drilling and energy bills "simply isn't borne out by the evidence".

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“I would take a pragmatic approach”
    • Elsewhere in the article“simply isn't borne out by the evidence”

    Show it in the article

    “who never publicly admitted that freeing up North Sea energy would boost the economy”

    What the words do
    Writes, as the paper's own statement, that freeing up the North Sea would boost the economy, and casts Starmer as having withheld that fact.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the economic benefit is settled and the previous Prime Minister simply would not say it.
    What is actually the case
    This is the contested position of the opposition and the oil and gas industry. The article's own quoted campaigner disputes the economic claims about North Sea drilling, and the paper offers no source for the assertion.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“simply isn't borne out by the evidence”

    Show it in the article

    “his recognition that exploiting the North Sea could boost Britain's flagging economy and public finances”

    What the words do
    The word "recognition" in the paper's own voice turns a disputed proposition into a truth Burnham has come to acknowledge.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That Burnham has accepted an established economic fact and is now under fair pressure to act on it.
    What is actually the case
    Downing Street is reported in the next breath as saying there is "no change" to the manifesto position, and Burnham's quoted words contain no economic claim at all.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“No10 played down the prospect of an imminent shift”

    Show it in the article

    “Should Britain prioritise economic relief by tapping North Sea oil, even if it means risking climate goals?”

    What the words do
    The paper's own reader prompt builds in the assumption that tapping North Sea oil delivers "economic relief", and sets it against climate goals as the only cost.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the economic benefit is real and the only question is whether it is worth the climate risk.
    What is actually the case
    The article's own quoted campaigner says the claim that North Sea drilling would cut energy bills is not borne out by the evidence, and the paper gives no source for the economic benefit beyond the industry and the opposition.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“simply isn't borne out by the evidence”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Burnham said he would take a pragmatic approach to the North Sea. The Conservatives and industry bodies say new licences would raise revenue and cut bills; campaigners say the evidence does not support the claim that drilling reduces household energy costs.

  3. Gives a contested claim the last word

    Serious

    “If you use the North Sea, the UK will be really rich.”

    What the words do
    Ends the article on Donald Trump's claim about North Sea riches with nothing after it.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the final word on the economics is that drilling will make Britain rich.
    What is actually the case
    The article itself reports that the claimed economic and bill benefits are disputed, with Uplift saying they are not borne out by the evidence, but nothing follows Trump's assertion.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“simply isn't borne out by the evidence”

    Show it in the article

  4. Dismisses climate action with a label

    Minor

    “angered the Net Zero lobby”

    What the words do
    In the paper's own voice, groups campaigning on climate are grouped together as "the Net Zero lobby".
    What a reader comes away believing
    That those objecting are a vested interest rather than campaigners and charities.
    What is actually the case
    The people quoted are a campaign group, the Green Party leader and the National Trust. The article gives no basis for calling them a lobby.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“National Trust boss Hilary McGrady”

    Show it in the article

    “Mr Miliband, a Net Zero fanatic”

    What the words do
    Attaches the paper's own label "fanatic" to a named former minister in a plain news sentence about a reshuffle.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That holding to emissions policy is itself fanaticism.
    What is actually the case
    The article offers nothing about Miliband's record beyond that he once called Rosebank "climate vandalism". The word is a verdict the reported facts do not carry.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“once likened to 'climate vandalism'”

    Show it in the article

Every underline is part of a finding. Press one to see why.

: Signalling a break with Ed Miliband's Net Zero,

Andy Burnham was urged last night to 'get Britain drilling' after . The Prime Minister hinted at a shift in Labour 's ideological ban on new drilling, saying that at a time of tight government finances the North Sea was a resource 'we can't ignore'. Experts have predicted that lifting the ban could generate £25billion in extra tax revenues for the UK over the next decade and support thousands of jobs. Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride told Mr Burnham last night: 'Get Britain drilling!' He said the PM should drop the ban and approve licences for the giant Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field, which could be decided as soon as next month. Whitehall sources predicted Jackdaw would get the green light in time to start supplying British homes this winter. But a decision on opening Rosebank, which former energy secretary Ed Miliband once likened to 'climate vandalism', hangs in the balance. Ministers are also considering industry requests to ease the windfall tax on energy profits, which has been blamed for holding back investment in the UK. Andy Burnham was urged to 'get Britain drilling' after he admitted that North Sea oil revenues could ease the cost of living Sir Mel said: 'If Burnham was really serious about tackling the cost of living and getting energy bills down, he would immediately approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank sites and end the ban on new oil and gas licences. 'That would be the first step towards ending Labour's Net Zero madness that is driving up costs for families and businesses and holding our economy back.' Mr Burnham's comments yesterday represent a significant shift from the position of Sir Keir Starmer, . Read More Streeting won't commit to 3pc defence spending pledge because Labour doesn't know how to pay for it The Prime Minister was asked about the issue after Donald Trump revealed Mr Burnham had told him he was going to 'open up North Sea oil' when the two leaders spoke on the phone last week. Mr Burnham said: 'I indicated in the phone call that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention. 'There is a resource there. When people are struggling we can't ignore that.' Labour's 2024 manifesto said it would not issue North Sea licences, but Mr Burnham appeared to leave the idea open to review. No10 played down the prospect of an imminent shift, saying there was 'no change' to the manifesto position. But will pressure Labour to act. In a letter to Labour MPs last week, business and union leaders urged the Government to drop its North Sea ban. Elizabeth de Jong, chief executive of the trade body Fuel Industry UK, said: 'The UK continues to need fuels. 'It makes sense to maximise the value created at home by supporting refineries and North Sea production. Domestic manufacturing sustains high-skilled jobs, strengthens energy security and underpins our industrial future.' Read More Fear for families this winter as rates and bills could both rise GMB union chief Gary Smith said: 'We will need oil and gas for decades. Increasing our reliance on energy from overseas for the essential elements that power our economy and keep the country going leaves us worryingly exposed.' Mr Smith urged the Prime Minister to show he 'understands the significance of this moment – jobs, communities, and our national security are at stake'. But Mr Burnham's comments . Tessa Khan, of the campaign group Uplift, said the claim that drilling in the North Sea would cut energy bills 'simply isn't borne out by the evidence', adding: 'It would also turn a blind eye to the devastating consequences of climate change. 'The choice facing Andy Burnham is whether he listens to the oil and gas lobby and its main cheerleader, Trump, or to the majority of the UK public.' Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: 'Our country is burning. Crops are failing. Thousands have been killed by extreme heat. 'The first duty of any prime minister is to keep the people of this country safe – and right now people are feeling scared. 'Allowing new oil and gas drilling will worsen the climate breakdown, putting more lives at risk and doing untold damage to our economy.' Join the discussion What's your view? National Trust boss Hilary McGrady urged the PM to 'leave fossil fuels in the ground'. Warning of the threat of climate change, she added: 'We've all been watching in horror as our neighbours in Europe are battling extreme fires.' The first test of Mr Burnham's new approach could come next month when consultations on Jackdaw and Rosebank are due to close. Both were approved for drilling by the last government only for the decisions to be overturned by the courts following legal challenges by climate campaigners. Decisions on fresh applications will be taken by ministers acting in a quasi-judicial role. The Government has faced intense lobbying from both sides. , has been replaced as energy secretary by Miatta Fahnbulleh, who has similar views. The trade body Offshore Energies UK said the two fields could generate almost £30billion by the end of the next parliament. Jackdaw's owner said it could supply gas for 1.4million homes, starting this winter – reducing reliance on imports and the risk of a 'gas supply emergency'. Referring to his call with Mr Burnham, Mr Trump said on Wednesday: 'He said he's going to open up North Sea oil. '

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