Angry Labour MPs urge leadership not to overrule energy secretary on Rosebank
Summary
Labour MPs are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey not to overrule Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh if she rejects environmental approval for the Rosebank oilfield. Fahnbulleh’s aides say she alone will decide, while ministers have expressed support for developing North Sea oil and gas fields.Key Facts
- Sources told the Guardian that Fahnbulleh was minded to refuse environmental permission for Rosebank, but no decision has been made.
- Labour MPs have raised concerns with party leadership and Healey about the possibility of ministers intervening in Fahnbulleh’s decision.
- MP Catherine Fookes said approving Rosebank would undermine Labour’s green credentials and conflict with the direction of its manifesto.
- Fahnbulleh’s aides circulated a memo saying she is the sole decision-maker and will consider all relevant factors through a quasi-judicial process.
- Burnham has said the Rosebank decision belongs to Fahnbulleh, while describing the recently approved Jackdaw gasfield as a bridge to the future.
- The Treasury says forecast tax revenues from Rosebank, estimated at about £500 million by the end of the parliament, do not prevent Fahnbulleh from blocking the project.
- The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast includes estimated production from Rosebank and other new fields.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
