Some Labour MPs have called on the government to reject the Rosebank oil field, saying it is “incompatible” with the UK’s climate commitments.
There is a growing expectation among senior Labour figures that drilling in the oil field off the north-west coast of Shetland will be given the go-ahead.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday that a decision would be “taken in due course” while Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh stressed that affordability of energy bills was her “overriding objective”.
But in a sign of the division within the party, more than a dozen Labour MPs expressed concerns in Parliament about approving it. Others expressed support, pointing to economic benefits.
Supportive Labour MPs said some other parts of the world emitted far more greenhouse gases than the UK and warned of relying on imports. Reports have suggested that Chancellor John Healey is in favour of approval.
Separately, it is understood some Labour backbenchers have organised a letter opposing Rosebank – intended for Burnham, but not yet sent – which more than 60 out of about 400 Labour MPs have indicated they support.
One signatory told the BBC that approving Rosebank “would not create new jobs, would bring minimal money into the Treasury and be bad for the climate”.
“The government’s central aim is to tackle the cost of living crisis, and drilling for more oil at Rosebank isn’t the answer,” the MP said.
Wednesday’s Westminster Hall – a type of parliamentary debate where backbench MPs raise topical issues but do not vote – was organised by Green MP Carla Denyer.
Labour MP for Sheffield Central Abtisam Mohamed told the debate: “Rosebank fails on every test.
“It will not benefit taxpayers who will shoulder the vast majority of the development costs, it will not strengthen our energy security because most of the oil will be sold on international markets, and it will not reduce energy bills for our constituents, who will remain exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices.”
Richard Burgon, a former frontbencher on the left of the party, said: “Rosebank is not compatible with our climate targets – it’s dangerous to pretend otherwise.”
The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and wants to limit global warming to no more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial period.
The UK government has always insisted that Rosebank is a quasi-judicial decision, formally resting with Fahnbulleh. She green-lit production in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea last month, but Rosebank hangs in the balance.
