Labour MPs Break Ranks Over Rosebank Oil Field as Approval Call Nears

Labour's unity is cracking over Rosebank. About a dozen of the party's MPs raised objections to the oil field off the north-west coast of Shetland during a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, arguing it clashes with Britain's climate commitments. The debate was organised by Green MP Carla Denyer. Senior Labour figures increasingly expect the project to get the green light.

The resistance isn't confined to the chamber. Some Labour backbenchers have organised a letter opposing Rosebank, understood to be intended for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, though it has not yet been sent. More than 60 of the party's roughly 400 MPs have indicated they back it, according to the BBC. One signatory said approving Rosebank would not create new jobs, would bring minimal money into the Treasury and would be bad for the climate.

Abtisam Mohamed, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, didn't hold back. She said Rosebank fails on every test, arguing taxpayers would shoulder most development costs, most of the oil would be sold on international markets, and bills would stay exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices. Former frontbencher Richard Burgon called the project incompatible with the UK's climate targets, adding it's dangerous to pretend otherwise. The UK is committed to net zero by 2050 and to limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Julia Buckley, Labour MP for Shrewsbury, said her regularly flooded constituents oppose the field and told Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh to reject the licence in favour of renewables. Anna Gelderd said Rosebank fails on both energy security and economic opportunity.

Not everyone agrees. Al Carns, the recently departed veterans minister, warned Britain will need fossil fuels for decades and that importing more would be a mistake, since refusing to produce at home does nothing to cut demand and only raises reliance on imports. Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool, stressed the British jobs tied to oil and gas. Energy minister Michael Shanks said the government would take a pragmatic approach, describing it as neither a turn off the taps government nor a drill every last drop one, and promised no decisions incompatible with climate obligations.

The call formally rests with Fahnbulleh, who has described energy bill affordability as her overriding objective. Burnham said on Wednesday a decision would be taken in due course. She approved production at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea last month. Rosebank still hangs in the balance.