MPs vote against motion on new North Sea oil and gas projects
The Tory opposition day motion - which also proposed ending the windfall tax on energy giants and approving the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields - was beaten by 297 to 108 votes.
MPs have voted against a Conservative motion to end the UK Government’s ban on new oil and gas licences for the North Sea.
The Tory opposition day motion - which also proposed ending the windfall tax on energy giants and approving the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields - was beaten by 297 to 108 votes.
Some 28 Scottish Labour MPs voted against the motion, while the SNP abstained.
Once the motion was rejected, a Labour motion which said that MPs back the Government’s approach passed without a vote.
The SNP had tabled its own motion but it was not selected because the Labour amendment passed.
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 SNP amendment had said “that Scotland’s oil, gas and renewable energy resources rightly belong to the people of Scotland” and “condemns successive UK Governments for imposing on households in energy-rich Scotland energy bills which are amongst the highest in Europe”.
The SNP amendment also said: “[This House] calls on the UK Government to introduce support for households with their energy bills during the current energy crisis; further calls for full powers over and revenues from Scotland’s energy sector to return to the Scottish Parliament”.
Andrew Bowie, Shadow secretary of state for Scotland, said: “Tonight the SNP have once again turned their backs on Scotland’s energy workers, risking jobs, investment and our national energy security.
“They have joined Ed Miliband and Labour’s drive to push tens of thousands of Scottish workers off the net zero cliff edge.
“Their net zero dogma is hammering livelihoods and hollowing out our rural communities. The truth is the SNP are willing to sacrifice Scotland’s industry on the altar of ideology and let working people pay the price.
“Only the Scottish Conservatives will unlock the economic growth the SNP have failed to achieve in 18 years, backing our North Sea Oil and Gas sector and stand up for Scotland’s future.”
Industry body Offshore Energies UK would not comment on the motion falling.
But a report it released on Tuesday said the war in the Middle East shows the UK “urgently” needs to produce more domestically.
It 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.
It comes as Rachel Reeves said on Tuesday afternoon that she has plans to support “those who need it most” with their energy bills.
The Chancellor said work is underway to help the poorest households when the price cap expires at the end of June and global prices could push up domestic bills.
But she signalled that it would not be a universal approach and that the wealthiest would not be given financial support.
The crisis in the Middle East has pushed up oil and gas prices, hitting motorists as they fill up at the pumps and potentially pushing up domestic energy bills later this year.
She told MPs: “Contingency planning is taking place for every eventuality so that we can keep costs down for everyone and provide support for those who need it most, acting within our iron-clad fiscal rules to keep inflation and interest rates as low as possible.
“This is not a war that we started, nor is it a war that we joined… but it is a war that will have an impact on our country.
“The challenges may be significant but I promise to do what is right and fair, being responsive in a changing world and responsible in the national interest.”
Ms Reeves indicated she is looking at targeted support rather than the blanket approach to energy bill help offered by then-prime minister Liz Truss in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
That “gave the support to the most wealthiest of households” and “left us with high levels of national debt, a cheque written then for a bill that is still being paid today”, the Chancellor said.
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