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Andy Burnham defends approving Jackdaw gas field as part of net‑zero plan

politicsOct 24, 202628496

Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the decision to approve production at the Jackdaw gasfield after energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh gave the go-ahead. Burnham said gas from Jackdaw will begin heating homes and powering businesses this winter, raise domestic gas production by about 6 percent, support UK supply for more than a decade, protect hundreds of Scottish jobs, and add almost £3 billion to the economy over the project’s lifetime. He reiterated the government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050, saying oil and gas will be needed as a bridge while the UK shifts to cleaner energy and that domestically produced gas has a lower carbon footprint than imports. Alongside the approval, Burnham announced an energy wealth fund starting with an initial £2 billion to convert future North Sea tax revenues into clean-energy programmes and to help delink gas and electricity prices by the end of this parliament. Campaigners criticized the decision; Danny Gross of Friends of the Earth warned it undermines UK climate leadership and Helen, listed as Head of Campaigns in coverage, said the approval makes urgent new legislation to end new oil and gas more necessary. Burnham framed the move as pragmatic crisis-era energy security that protects jobs while funding the transition to renewables.

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