Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to extract every drop of oil and gas from the North Sea if the Tories return to power. The commitment represents a stark departure from current government policy on fossil fuel extraction.
Badenoch described the current approach as "absurd" and announced plans to completely transform how North Sea resources are managed. She will outline her strategy during a speech in Aberdeen on Tuesday.
"We are going to get all our oil and gas out of the North Sea," Badenoch declared ahead of her appearance. She criticised the current situation where Britain leaves resources untapped while neighbouring Norway extracts from the same seabed.
Authority overhaul planned
The Conservative leader intends to fundamentally restructure the North Sea Transition Authority, which currently oversees licensing for exploration. Under Tory plans, the word "transition" would be dropped entirely and the body would receive a clear mandate to maximise fossil fuel extraction.
This represents a complete reversal of policies designed to shift the North Sea industry away from fossil fuels. A future Conservative government would prioritise "maximising extraction" as its primary objective.
Economic and security arguments
Badenoch linked her proposal to recent economic data and national security concerns. "With the ONS confirming that economic growth is down partly because of falling oil and gas extraction, we cannot afford not to be doing everything to get hydrocarbons out the ground," she stated.
The Conservative leader argued that Britain faces "some of the highest energy prices in the developed world" despite having decarbonised more than other major economies since 1990. "This is not sustainable and it cannot continue," she emphasised.
She described current policy as an "unilateral act of economic disarmament" and dismissed Labour's net zero target for 2050 as "impossible ideology." Badenoch also referenced Ukraine, stating that "Russia's war in Ukraine has only underscored that our energy supplies are a matter of national security."
Government defends current approach
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero rejected Badenoch's proposals and defended existing policy. A government spokesman highlighted ongoing investments in renewable energy and carbon capture technology.
"We are already delivering a fair and orderly transition in the North Sea to drive growth and secure skilled jobs for future generations, with the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and three first of a kind carbon capture and storage clusters," the spokesman said.
The government maintained its commitment to avoiding new exploration licences, arguing they "will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
