The British government has approved gas drilling at the Jackdaw field, about 240 kilometres from Aberdeen off the Scottish coast, despite opposition from environmental groups. The government said the project would support energy security amid high and unpredictable international energy prices. The field could supply about 6% of British gas demand, heat 1.4 million homes and preserve hundreds of fossil-fuel jobs, according to industry estimates.

The decision broke Labour’s 2023 commitment not to open new oil and gas fields in the North Sea. Environmental organisations said new fossil-fuel projects conflict with climate targets, while Prime Minister Burnham defended the decision as a pragmatic measure and said the government still supports reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The government is also considering approval of the Rosebank oil field west of the Shetland Islands; no decision has been made on that project. It plans to direct tax revenues from Jackdaw towards renewable energy, alongside a proposed £2 billion Energy Wealth Fund.