The drilling project is one of two – alongside the Rosebank oil field off Shetland – which were approved by the previous Conservative government.
Both were approved for drilling licences in June 2022, but this was overturned by the Scottish courts after a challenge from environmental campaigners.
A decision on Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, is being made separately, with energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh saying it will take “a bit longer”.
Nice to see Burnham continuing labour’s policy of giving reform everything they want.
Just 27 jobs?! I guess most of the jobs will be during the construction?
Ami McCarthy, head of politics for Greenpeace UK, said: “Approving Jackdaw shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy.
“Andy Burnham promised pragmatism, but there is nothing pragmatic about rubber-stamping a project that won’t lower energy bills, won’t boost energy security and will create just 27 full-time jobs.”
My understanding is that it’s largely already constructed - they just didn’t have the go-ahead to start drilling until now.
So yeah. 27 jobs.
We’re burning ourselves alive for private interests, who will be the beneficiaries of this.
Can I expect our fuel bills to reduce?
No
Even though we’ll be less dependent on imports? Well paint me the colour surprised!
These projects take years to come online. Also it will all get exported. In 2025 the UK produced 31.4 million tonnes of oil and exported 27.5 million tonnes, over 87% of it. [1] This doesn’t make our energy more secure, unlike wind, hydro or solar, just endangers us all and makes billions for rich cunts in the process.
Get fucked SNP.
Another broken manifesto promise
It seems the manifesto was quite artfully written to allow an interpretation where this is not a broken promise:
Page 52 of Labour’s manifesto reads like a rhetorical twister – a paragraph of promises seeking to stretch in multiple directions at the same time, trying to keep a breadth of people happy simultaneously, or perhaps not annoy too many people too much.
“Labour will not revoke existing licences and we will partner with business and workers to manage our existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan. Crucially, oil and gas production in the North Sea will be with us for decades to come, and the North Sea will be managed in a way that does not jeopardise jobs,” it reads.
“And our offshore workers will lead the world in the industries of the future. We will not issue new licences to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis,” it adds.
BBC News - Chris Mason: Jackdaw approved but tricky energy trade-offs remain - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cked35dz47y7o
