Burnham approves gas field off the coast of Scotland

The UK government has approved plans to start drilling for gas off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the project will ´safeguard hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter.´

The issue has divided Burnham’s Labour Party. The ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is pitted against the need to increase domestic energy supply and ease the pressure from soaring household costs.

When Labour, under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, returned to power in 2024, the party promised not to issue any new licences for gas and oil extraction, in order to move the country away from fossil fuels.