Wednesday 5 February 2025
By Bill Heaney
UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said today that businesses are “abandoning” the North Sea because of Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Kemi raised last week’s court case blocking North Sea projects and urged the Prime Minister to approve new oil and gas licences in the future.
She said Starmer must now “grant these licences, open these oil and gas fields, save British jobs and bring down bills”.
Badenoch also described Labour’s GB Energy proposals as “a vanity project that is not great, not British, and does not produce any energy”.
UK Conservative leader added: “Shell has said a one-year delay to Rosebank will cost £350 million and the loss of 1,000 jobs, Equinor has said a two-year delay to Jackdaw will cost £800 million.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, UK Parliament and Sir Keir Starmer
“At a time of war in Europe, threatened energy security, increased competition from the US and elsewhere, we should be getting British oil and gas out of the ground.
“Does the Prime Minister have the guts to take on Labour donors and his energy secretary and approve the licence applications when they are re-submitted?
“Business is abandoning the North Sea because of his decisions.
“This government is so clueless it is borrowing £8 billion for GB Energy – a vanity project that is not great, not British, and does not produce any energy. Its own chairman admitted it will take 20 years to create just 1,000 jobs.
“Meanwhile, 200,000 jobs are at stake in our oil and gas sector right now. Does he think that 1,000 jobs in 20 years’ time are worth more than the 200,000 jobs we have now?
“This Prime Minister isn’t just managing decline, he’s creating decline.
“He has the power to grant these licences, open these oil and gas fields, save British jobs and bring down bills. Why does he find it so hard to do the right thing?”