Burnham ‘faces rebellion’ from MPs on Rosebank

Andy Burnham reportedly faces a rebellion from his MPs who wish to block approval for drilling at the Rosebank oilfield.

The Sunday Times reports that, according to those who have mobilised against the move, 75 Labour MPs have privately signed a letter opposing it.

Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh recently approved plans for drilling at the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen, but no decision has been taken on the Rosebank site, which is Britain’s largest remaining untapped oil field, located about 80 miles north west of the Shetland Islands.

The newspaper reports that the rebel MPs believe that approving Rosebank would destroy the UK’s reputation on climate change and would not even reduce energy bills.

Mr Burnham also reportedly faces the prospect of resignations from his government if a licence is granted, it reports, with a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) weighing up the prospect of stepping down if it goes ahead.

The PPS told The Sunday Times: “I think they underestimate how strongly people feel about climate change.

“For a generation of us it’s as central to our politics as equality or tackling poverty.”

The letter, which has not been made public yet, is reportedly being based on the strategy taken by the Labour MPs who forced Sir Keir Starmer to abandon planned cuts to disability benefits during his premiership.

The Independent has approached the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for comment.

It comes after Mr Burnham addressed the UN Cop31 summit in Turkey last week.

The prime minister warned that the “climate crisis is upon all of us now” after a “not normal” summer of extreme heat, wildfires and drought.

“The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is upon us all now, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere,” he said.

“Meanwhile, two wars across two continents have sent fuel prices and gas bills soaring for families and businesses across the world. The common thread running through all of this: our dependence on fossil fuels.

“The message I carry here at my first Cop as UK prime minister is this: we’re committed to meeting our 2050 net zero target, and committed to working with all of our partners to reach theirs.”

Pressure has increased on the government to approve the Rosebank oil field after the Jackdaw approval with Neil McCulloch, the boss of Adura, the firm behind the Jackdaw project, insisting approval of the second scheme should now follow.

But environmental campaigners have urged the government to reject the “even more damaging” Rosebank oil field.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Caroline Rance said: “Jackdaw must be the last new oil and gas field opened in the UK. Rosebank and any other new projects must be firmly rejected by the UK government. Oil and gas cannot be made compatible with our climate commitments.”

Ami McCarthy, head of politics for Greenpeace UK, said going on to approve Rosebank “would detonate an even bigger carbon bomb, releasing as much carbon as 56 coal plants operating for a year”.