Overview
- In a speech in Aberdeen, the Conservative leader said a future Tory government would “maximise extraction” and “get all our oil and gas out of the North Sea.”
- Plans include renaming the North Sea Transition Authority as the North Sea Authority, removing “transition,” and replacing its mandate with a directive to maximise fossil‑fuel output.
- The Conservatives vowed to end what they call Labour’s ban on new exploration licences and to reverse restrictions on overseas financial or promotional support for the fossil‑fuel sector.
- The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero rejected the approach, arguing new licences would not lower bills or improve energy security and would accelerate the climate crisis.
- Industry body Offshore Energies UK welcomed more domestic output, citing estimates that the UK may need 10–15 billion barrels to 2050 while current plans would yield less than four billion.