By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-18 23:01:38 | Updated at 2026-09-19 01:02:19
2 hours ago
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has signalled he would support the approval of Jackdaw, a controversial gas field in the North Sea.
Sir Ed said he had long thought Jackdaw “made sense” because “we’re going to need a lot of gas in the transition”.
He said that, provided it passed the “climate test”, he would prefer to use domestically produced gas than imports that often have a larger carbon footprint.
The futures of both Jackdaw and Rosebank, Britain’s largest untapped oil field, are in the hands of the Government.
Work at both has been halted by legal challenges on climate grounds.
Their fates have become politically charged, with climate activists insisting the environmental impact of drilling would be too high.
Ex-Energy Secretary Ed Miliband once labelled Rosebank “climate vandalism”.
But industry experts insist the fields will boost Britain's economy and energy security.
When no decision was reached before Parliament rose for conference season, Labour faced claims it had been postponed until a crucial by-election in Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat had taken place.
Zack Polanksi, the Green Party leader, is standing in the Labour stronghold of Holborn and St Pancras.
But Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh dismissed these claims as “nonsense”, saying the decision was complex, with “reams and reams and reams of paperwork that needs to be assessed”.
Sir Ed was asked if the Liberal Democrats would back a decision to approve Jackdaw.
He said: “These are difficult decisions because you need to make sure you’re adhering to your climate commitments.
“Jackdaw, I personally have always felt made sense because we’re going to need a lot of gas in the transition.
“And when I was secretary for energy and climate change, I was very strong on the need to have some gas because we’re going to need a lot of it.
“I would prefer to have gas produced in the North Sea from a place like Jackdaw if it passes the climate test, which it looks like it will, rather than importing gas that we know we’re going to need from the other side of the world in LNG, which uses a lot more energy and has a higher carbon footprint.
“So, if we can consume the gas that we’re going to have to do already with a lower carbon footprint, that’s the key test for us.
“Can it be done in a way which is going to reduce our impact on the climate, and that’s the key test for me?"
After an influential group of MPs this week said the phrase “Net Zero” should be scrapped by the Government as it has become toxic to the public, Prime Minister Andy Burnham stressed his commitment to reaching the target by 2050.
