Tories to force Commons vote on new oil and gas projects

The Conservatives will also use their opposition day debate to give MPs a vote on ending the windfall tax on energy giants and to approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields.

It comes as the industry body for the oil and gas industry said the war in the Middle East shows the UK “urgently” needs to produce more domestically.

Shadow Scottish Secretary and West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie said: “Recent global events have underlined the importance of meeting our own domestic oil and gas needs.

“We should not be importing what we can provide ourselves, with homegrown expertise and at lesser cost to the environment.

“Labour and Keir Starmer started this year as net zero zealots but every day they look more and more out of touch with Britain’s priorities.

“They should be giving their full-throated backing to our industry alongside the SNP, Lib Dems and others, who have all been guilty of trying to shut oil and gas down in recent years. At best, the SNP have adopted a form of fence-sitting in Aberdeen alone.

“It’s not too late for these parties to change tack and back our calls to maximise resources in the North Sea. Our debate will force Labour and SNP MPs into showing whether they are truly friends of the industry, as well as whether they will stand up for tens of thousands of voters in Scotland who rely on jobs in the sector.”

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The UK government is currently considering whether to give two oil fields off the coast of Scotland - Rosebank and Jackdaw - the go-ahead.

Rosebank is 80 miles to the west of Shetland and contains around 300 million barrels of oil, making it the UK's last major undeveloped oil site. Jackdaw is 150 miles east of Aberdeen.

The UK government has committed to banning new oil and gas exploration licences. There will be no new licensing rounds, but preapproved projects like Rosebank and Jackdaw may still go forward.

The Tory opposition day motion is not binding, so the UK government may tell Labour MPs not to vote.

But some Labour MPs who want more drilling in the North Sea may use it as a protest.

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It comes as analysis from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) found that using North Sea gas has a lower emissions footprint than liquified natural gas (LNG) from overseas.

A new report has called on the UK government to back domestic oil and gas alongside renewables to secure energy supply, including drilling in the North Sea.

The business outlook report 2026 on the UK’s offshore energy system claims the UK will continue to need significant volumes of oil and gas for decades to come, even with accelerating use of renewables.

The report warns that without more domestic production the UK risks becoming increasingly reliant on energy imports at a time of rising global instability.

Offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen production will have expanding roles, but oil and gas still supply around 75 per cent of the UK’s current energy needs and are expected to meet around a fifth of demand in 2050, the researchers found.

The report warns that maintaining domestic supply is essential for energy security, affordability and reliability.

It also said that North Sea gas has a lower emissions footprint than LNG from overseas, supports high-value jobs and reduces exposure to volatile global markets.

Enrique Cornejo, director of energy policy at OEUK, said the trade body is still considering climate targets while pointing to the UK’s need for domestic oil and gas.

Mr Cornejo said the UK was “pushing the problem elsewhere”.

He said: “We are continuing to support the development of renewable energies, we think that’s important.

“However, our position remains the same; for as long as the UK needs oil and gas, it makes sense to produce as much of that here.”

He continued: “Our position is, obviously, climate change is important, and what we’re setting out here is that there is a pathway to meet climate targets that makes a responsible use of our homegrown resources, and that also ensures that we do not offshore those emissions to other countries.

“Because of how accounting of carbon emissions works for every country, it would be very easy for us to just say we will not produce our energy in the UK, or we will not produce our steel in the UK, and we’re just pushing that problem elsewhere.”

Current projections suggest the UK could rely on imported LNG for more than a quarter of its gas supply by 2030 and almost half by 2035, up from around 14% last year.

However, OEUK analysis showed that with the right investment conditions and support for pragmatic energy policies, LNG reliance can fall to 6% in the same year.

The OEUK also said replacing the temporary energy profits levy in 2026 with the permanent oil and gas price mechanism could unlock up to £50 billion of additional capital investment in oil and gas.

Labour energy minister Michael Shanks said: “Our priority is securing the clean energy future that will protect households and businesses from the volatility of global fossil fuel markets we can never control.

“The Tories had 14 years to deliver a managed transition in the North Sea and failed, with a third of the workforce lost on their watch without any plan for what comes next.

“We’re determined to deliver a fair and prosperous transition, energy security for the long-term and fight for families across the country to keep bills down”