Andy Burnham, the man about to become prime minister, is reportedly planning to announce new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. This is a bit awkward, because Labour's 2024 manifesto - which Burnham has sworn to follow - explicitly said 'no new licences, but we'll honor the ones we've got.' Oops.

The drama centers on two Scottish oil and gas fields, Rosebank and Jackdaw, which got regulatory approval back in 2022 and 2023 under the Tories, only to have that approval overturned in 2025 after someone sued. Burnham can't exactly say 'approved!' because the legal process is still grinding its gears, but he might hint at it in his first speech as PM on Monday. The actual decision will fall to the new, as-yet-unnamed energy secretary - because nothing says 'decisive leadership' like punting to an unannounced cabinet member.

This announcement is part of a flurry of measures Burnham is planning, including taking water and energy companies into public control and building new council houses. He also wants to give people 'breathing space on the cost of living,' presumably by not making them pay more for energy from new drilling that won't actually lower bills. Sir Keir Starmer, the outgoing PM, had argued that new licences don't translate to cheaper bills and that renewables are the future. The Conservatives and Reform UK, meanwhile, called for more drilling, and Donald Trump took time out from his busy schedule of being Donald Trump to tell the UK to 'open North Sea oil.'

Labour is, predictably, split. Some MPs worry about jobs and bills; others fret about climate change. Current Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who is likely to get a senior role under Burnham, previously called the Rosebank licence 'climate vandalism.' Backbencher Rachael Maskell said she feels 'uneasy' about more drilling, noting that the UK is currently experiencing heatwaves and wildfires, which is nature's way of saying 'maybe stop burning things.' The Green Party's Adrian Ramsay called approval of new drilling 'the wrong response' that will do nothing to bring down bills. Burnham, for his part, says he's 'finalising his cabinet' and promises to 'bring back hope' - presumably not the kind that comes from a methane leak.