In a year marked by record-breaking heatwaves, relentless droughts, and devastating flooding, the Labour government has faced fierce backlash for authorizing new fossil fuel production in the North Sea. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh announced that the government has granted the green light for gas production at the Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Aberdeen. The administration also appears poised to approve drilling at the massive Rosebank oil and gas field in the coming weeks.
The decision represents a stark departure from the Labour Party’s 2024 election manifesto, which included a pledge to halt the awarding of new licenses for North Sea oil and gas projects. While the government maintains that these projects were already subject to legacy approvals from the previous administration, critics argue that the move undermines Britain’s climate credibility and signals a capitulation to the fossil fuel industry.
Secretary Fahnbulleh defended the decision by framing it as a pragmatic step toward national energy security. “This decision will support the country’s energy security with homegrown gas this winter and help minimise Britain’s use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear,” she stated. She further asserted that the project remains compatible with the government’s “legally binding” commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
However, environmental experts and political rivals suggest that the rhetoric contradicts the climate reality. Green Party leader Zack Polanski was quick to condemn the announcement, labeling it a “betrayal” and a clear victory for corporate interests, specifically Shell, which holds the license for the Jackdaw field. The project had previously been ruled unlawful by an Edinburgh court in 2025 because regulators failed to adequately account for the downstream emissions—the carbon released when the gas is eventually burned.
The economic and employment justifications for the project have also been called into question. While some union leadership, including Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, have defended the developments as essential for jobs and stability, others argue the employment gains are negligible. Industry data suggests that the Jackdaw project will support only 27 full-time direct jobs, as the infrastructure largely relies on existing platforms.
Tahir Latif of the Greener Jobs Alliance highlighted the disconnect between current industrial policy and long-term economic strategy. “It’s an incredibly small number of jobs that aren’t going to solve anything for the community,” Latif said. He suggested that focusing on declining, finite fossil fuel fields is a short-sighted strategy that ignores the potential for job creation in renewable energy and building retrofitting.
Critics also point out that the energy secretary herself previously argued against such projects. In her former capacity as leader of the New Economics Foundation, Fahnbulleh noted that new fossil fuel projects inevitably drive up consumption and undermine global pricing stability, rather than insulating domestic consumers.
As climate-related disasters increase in frequency and intensity, the tension between the government’s “net zero” promises and its industrial actions continues to mount. Activist groups, including Just Stop Oil, have sustained protests outside Parliament, arguing that the government’s reliance on oil and gas will lock Britain into a high-carbon future for decades.
With Britain already trailing behind its trajectory for meeting climate targets, the approval of Jackdaw and the expected go-ahead for Rosebank are likely to remain flashpoints in the national discourse. For activists and unions calling for a “just transition,” the focus is now shifting toward finding viable, radical alternatives that prioritize worker security without sacrificing the climate, a theme set to be central at the upcoming Campaign Against Climate Change trade union conference this October.
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