Andy Burnham has been accused of putting party before politics amid reports that a decision on the controversial Jackdaw gas field has been delayed until after a key by-election pitching Labour against the Greens.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, had been expected to give her recommendation to approve the Jackdaw field 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen during a visit to the area on Tuesday.
However, the Prime Minister faces his first big electoral test on 8 October following Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to resign the Holborn and St Pancras seat.
While the issue has no direct bearing on a constituency 400 miles from Aberdeen, it is regarded as a clear defining factor in the energy and climate change debate.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who will contest the by-election against Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali, accused Labour of wanting to “allow new North Sea drilling”.
Mr Polanski said a win by his party would “add pressure on Labour to reverse this shortsighted and dangerous plan.”
The Conservative Party said Mr Burnham’s decision to delay an announcement on Jackdaw showed Labour was putting politics ahead of energy security at a time when natural gas prices have risen sharply owing to the Iran war energy shock.
In a letter to Mr Burnham, shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie said: “There is absolutely no acceptable reason to postpone a decision any further.
‘When you became Prime Minster, you said that you wanted to make government more about problem solving than point scoring. Now is your opportunity to put the interests of the country first. Workers are ready, the equipment is in place, do not delay this any further..”
He noted that Tuesday is the last day before Parliament rises for recess and the start of the party conference season.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said that the government needed to “get on with it”.
Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto allowed for drilling at projects that had already been approved, including Jackdaw and Rosebank, which is 80 miles north-west of the Shetland Islands, before it won power.
Both were approved but drilling was halted when a court ruled in favour of opponents who said environmental impact assessments had not be completed.
A decision on Jackdaw this month may have allowed it to begin producing gas as soon as this winter, at a time when supplies are tight in Europe owing to the loss of liquefied natural gas exports from the Middle East.
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