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The energy secretary has told Britons not to expect lower energy bills this winter after she approved drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
Miatta Fahnbulleh said the “key consideration in coming to this decision was at a time when we are in an energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.
She told BBC: “Energy security is really important and this will contribute to the homegrown sources of energy that we have.”
The move was backed by Andy Burnham, who said the decision will “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm”, but stressed it would not hinder the government’s targets on renewable energy.
He is now facing intense backlash from climate activists, while also being under pressure to greenlight the Rosebank oil and gas field.
Energy transition support group Uplift has said the project “won’t knock a penny off our energy bills” because the resources will be sold at prices dictated by international markets, which are influenced by factors such as the supply disruptions currently being caused by the Middle East crisis.
Zack Polanski described Wednesday’s decision as “a betrayal of all of our futures” and said Labour had “abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change.”
Labour MPs hit out at Jackdaw and say Burnham got it 'badly wrong'
An absolutely terrible decision on Jackdaw. It will do nothing to lower people's energy bills or improve our energy security. Investing in renewable energy is the way to do that. The Government has got this badly wrong. It must not repeat the same mistake with Rosebank.
— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) October 21, 2026
Approving the drilling of Jackdaw is the wrong decision on every front. It won't bring down bills, it creates barely any jobs, and it undermines our climate commitments. True energy security comes from rapidly expanding homegrown renewables, not continuing our reliance on volatile fossil fuels. The idea that we need more drilling to fund them is exactly what the fossil fuel lobby wants us to believe.
— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) October 21, 2026
I wrote to the Government with cross-party MPs last night opposing this decision. Rosebank and Jackdaw won’t cut bills they'll just boost profits of fossil fuel giants. If every country pursues its own deluded self interest the costs of climate breakdown will be unbearable. https://t.co/tE6a6RUDxz
— Chris Hinchliff MP (@CHinchliffMP) October 21, 2026
Jackdaw approval will change 'almost nothing' for British households
Almost nothing will change for British households following the government’s decision to greenlight drilling at Jackdaw, a sustainable investment firm has warned.
Tony Dalwood, the chief executive at Gresham House, said fixing the UK’s energy gris “would cut bills faster than any North Sea decision.”
He said: “Approving Jackdaw while deferring Rosebank will be sold as a pragmatic compromise.
“Britain will need gas for years to come, but neither decision changes where Britain's power system is heading: towards wind and solar, whose output NESO's Clean Power 2030 pathway expects to double over the next five years, balanced by a gas fleet that is getting older.
“The prime minister talks about a bridge to a clean energy future, but that bridge is already built. The challenge is implementation - better using the energy we already generate.
“Britain has 7GW of battery storage connected today, yet under existing rules it is still too often bypassed in favour of burning more expensive gas.
“Consumers pay twice: once for the gas, and again when wind farms are paid to switch off because there is nowhere to store their power. That cost £1.5bn last year.
“Britain's battery fleet is largely unsubsidised - so using it to store excess wind will reduce Britain's energy costs, benefiting consumers, businesses and economic growth.
“Fixing how the grid uses the batteries it already has would cut bills faster than any North Sea decision.”
Industry groups praise Jackdaw decision, but urge 'equally vital' Rosebank oil field
Industry groups in northeast Scotland have welcomed the government’s decision to start drilling the Jackdaw gas field, but say the Rosebank oil field is just as vital.
The chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Russell Borthwick, said: “This is a hugely welcome decision, and exactly the sort of pragmatic call the North Sea has been crying out for.
“Jackdaw is 99.9 per cent complete and, with approval now secured, gas from this field will be flowing into homes up and down the country within weeks.
“This is a direct, tangible boost to the UK’s energy security at a time when it matters most. Every molecule of gas we produce in the North Sea, under some of the world’s highest environmental standards, is a molecule we don’t have to import on a tanker from overseas.”
“But Jackdaw cannot be the end of the story. Rosebank is every bit as vital to our energy security and every bit as ready to deliver for the UK supply chain anchored here in the north east of Scotland.”
Jack Middleton, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, added: “Approving Jackdaw is the right decision, but fundamental questions remain unanswered.
“Andy Burnham’s silence on Rosebank is deafening, and there is no assurance that the establishment of a North Sea Wealth Fund will benefit Scottish industry alone.”
Angela Hepworth, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said global events have brought the need for domestic energy into “sharper focus”.
She said: “Today’s decision must now be matched by a renewed drive to deliver our long-standing clean energy ambitions.
“The UK needs a pragmatic approach to its energy future that secures investment, jobs and energy supplies in a volatile world.”
Mapped: Where are the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields?
Plans to begin drilling in the North Sea’s Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Scotland have been approved by ministers, confirming the future of the project which at points appeared to be uncertain.
Prime minister Andy Burnham has insisted the decision will “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm” while also sticking to pledges on renewable energy.
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Jackdaw drilling project will replace 'inefficient' gas from overseas
The chief executive of Octopus Energy has said Jackdaw gas field project will have some benefits for the environment and jobs, but believes the UK must ultimately get out of gas.
Speaking about the government’s decision, Greg Jackson told BBC: “This won't bring the down the price of gas but it will replace some of the gas we are shipping from other parts of the world.
“In fact, it will reduce the number of ships that come here by about 10 per cent, and that’s a good thing because the gas from overseas is inefficient so its less good for the environment, and also of course it will help maintain jobs here for longer and it will pay taxes here.
“But in the long run, we need to get out of gas, which is why electrification, moving to heat pumps are so important to escape these prices.”
Labour's climate credibility is 'on the line'
Climate groups have expressed their strong condemnation of the government’s decision to approve drilling at Jackdaw, as they warn Labour that its climate credibility is now “on the line”.
Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Uplift and WWF are among the environmental groups that have spoken out against the move, and urge the government to reject a project at Rosebank.
They warned that new drilling at Jackdaw will further drive already devastating climate impacts and mainly enrich fossil fuel firms while doing little to tackle the decline in North Sea jobs, risks to energy security or the cost-of-living crisis.
Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, which campaigns for a transition away from oil and gas production, said: “Labour’s climate credibility is on the line now.“
“Approving it would see the government knowingly breach safe climate limits.
“Burnham must deliver on his promise to put the common good ahead of vested interests – and prioritise affordable bills, genuine industrial growth and a safe climate over oil profits. That means rejecting Rosebank.”
Kate Norgrove, WWF chief impact officer, said Jackdaw is a “disappointing decision”, but added that the government now “urgently needs to show that it remains 100 per centcommitted to the clean energy transition by rejecting the even more damaging Rosebank oil field”.
“The truth is that this decision will only support a tiny number of jobs, do nothing to lower prices, barely move the needle on growth, and undermine the UK’s climate leadership,” she said.
“We have all seen the devastating consequences of rising temperatures this summer for people and nature, and it’s clear that politicians are out of step with public opinion on taking action on climate change.”
Jackdaw announcement must provide certainty to north east, says Swinney
🧵 I hope today’s announcement on Jackdaw will provide some certainty for the North East after many years of difficulty thanks to UK Government policy. It must also kickstart a renewed drive to deliver our long-standing clean energy ambitions.
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) October 21, 2026
Jackdaw 'needs to be the beginning, not the end'
The approval of Jackdaw “needs to be the beginning, not the end” of new North Sea oil and gas fields, the shadow energy security secretary has said.
Andrew Bowie told the BBC’s Radio Scotland Breakfast programme: “There are a number of fields waiting final decision from the Secretary of State of this Government that we would like to see approved, Rosebank among them.”
He added: “It’s a start but we would like to see a much more pragmatic and sensible approach on the North Sea moving forward.”
The Tory MP also said Labour ministers were too slow to approve Jackdaw, saying they “could have done this last year, or indeed months after the initial decision was taken”.
Urgent emissions cuts needed to ‘minimise’ peak global warming, UN warns
Deep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are vital if peak global warming is to be kept to 1.7C-1.8C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century, according to UN scientists.
The world is set to pass the key threshold of 1.5C warming above pre-industrial levels, worsening the risks of climate change.
However, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres insisted that "overshoot is not surrender", as the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) detailed how nations might limit the scale and duration of the breach, seeking to bring warming back under 1.5C as rapidly as possible.
The benchmark formed a core element of the landmark 2015 UN Paris Agreement, which committed nations to capping temperature rises well below 2C while striving for 1.5C.
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