Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing increasing pressure from leading climate scientists to reject any new North Sea oil and gas drilling, with experts pointing to his strong environmental record as former Mayor of Greater Manchester. In an open letter, academics who helped craft Manchester's ambitious carbon-neutral by 2038 commitment expressed “considerable concern” over recent reports suggesting the government intends to approve further development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields.
These fields, previously approved under the Conservative government, were put on hold following legal action that demanded a more detailed assessment of their environmental impact, specifically regarding the climate effects of burning extracted fossil fuels. Professor Kevin Anderson and scientists from the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester, who authored the letter, emphasised that such an approval would represent a “profound departure” from the principles Mr Burnham promoted during his tenure as Mayor.
The scientists argue that giving the green light to these projects would send a detrimental signal globally, suggesting the UK is backtracking on its international climate commitments. They highlighted that while the Labour Party's manifesto pledged against issuing new oil and gas licences, Jackdaw and Rosebank were already within the regulatory system at the time of the last general election. A consultation on the Jackdaw project is set to conclude on 8 August.
Amidst a summer marked by extreme heat and widespread wildfires across the UK and Europe, the academics underscored the critical need for immediate and drastic action on emissions. They reiterated that global emissions must be cut by approximately 8% every year to meet the Paris Agreement’s upper limit of a maximum 2°C of heating. The letter stressed that global temperatures have already reached the lower limit of the Paris Agreement's range (1.5°C), with shrinking carbon budgets offering less room for policy manoeuvre.
The scientists urged Prime Minister Burnham to demonstrate the same commitment to scientific evidence and political courage that characterised his leadership in Greater Manchester. They noted that when he championed the carbon-neutral 2038 policy in 2024, he had called for greater powers to accelerate climate action. Now, with those powers as Prime Minister, they contend he must not abandon scientific consensus in favour of short-term political pressures, warning that approving new drilling cannot be reconciled with the UK’s repeated pledges to uphold its international climate obligations.