According to the Guardian, Keir Starmer faces an “internal backlash” of Labour MPs “over the potential approval of a giant new oilfield”. Last week, a court found that the consents to exploit the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields given by the previous Government were unlawful and required a more detailed climate and environmental impact assessment. The restless MPs fear that Rachel Reeves, in her desperation to put growth into the economy, may give her backing to the project. And so the Guardian article looks like a pre-emptive mobilisation of MPs, ahead of a decision from Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero about the oil fields. But who is behind it?
The issue is complicated by the fact that Labour’s manifesto promised “not to issue new exploration licences, but not to cancel ones that have already been issued”, as the Guardian puts it. The ruling putting the ball back in the new Government’s court can be argued on either side on technicalities. These would not be new licences as such, since consent was already given, but they would be nonetheless fresh. MPs are reportedly anticipating comments from the Treasury, and the Guardian cites the MPs’ anonymous threats: “This would be a breaking point for a lot of us”; “This goes specifically against what we said we were about”; “This is absolutely a line in the sand for almost everyone in the [Parliamentary Labour Party]”.
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