Tory Leader Badenoch Pledges North Sea Oil Gas Cornerstone UK Economy

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged that a Conservative government would make North Sea oil and gas the cornerstone of the UK economy, aiming to maximize extraction and reverse Labour's ban on new oil and gas licences. Speaking at the Society of Petroleum Engineers Offshore Europe conference in Aberdeen, she criticized Labour’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband for pursuing a net zero 2050 agenda that she claims restricts the industry and UK companies exporting fossil fuel technologies. The Conservatives plan to rename the North Sea Transition Authority to the North Sea Authority with a mandate to maximize oil and gas extraction, and would also lift restrictions on financial and promotional support for the fossil fuel sector overseas. Badenoch accused Labour of seeing the North Sea as a relic of the past, while her party considers it vital for Britain’s future prosperity, and condemned Reform UK’s proposal for part-nationalisation of the sector. Miliband responded by calling the Tory policy a failure that would hurt working people and emphasized Labour’s commitment to a clean energy transition including support for carbon capture, hydrogen, and offshore wind. The debate highlights stark differences in energy policy approaches between the Conservatives and Labour, with the former focusing on fossil fuel expansion and the latter on transitioning to cleaner energy sources.