Conservatives promise to scrap net zero rules and extract “all oil and gas” from the North Sea
Kemi Badenoch guarantees that the Conservative government will strip North Sea oil and gas operators of all net zero requirements and focus only on “maximizing the extraction of fossil fuels.”
In a speech in Aberdeen on Tuesday, Conservative leaders are expected to assure her party will “removal all of our oil and gas from the North Sea”, dismissing emission reduction rules, a burden on producers pushing household bills.
“The UK will not develop a vital resource, and neighbors like Norway will extract it from the same seabed,” Badenoch said, adding that limiting drilling to pursue a net zero goal is “ridiculous”.
Dramatic policy shifts
The plan represents a major reversal of conservative climate policy. In 2019, Theresa May’s administration put the 2050 net zero target legally, aligning the UK with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperatures well below 2C.
But Badenoch believes hitting net zero by 2050 is “impossible”, saying she will abolish the obligations of oil and gas companies to reduce emissions or invest in carbon capture. The approach echoes Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” stance in the United States and is sharply different from the Biden administration’s clean energy subsidy.
This also contradicts the Conservatives with the Labor government that promises to ban new exploration permits. “Exploring new areas will not reduce bills or improve energy security, but will exacerbate the worsening climate crisis,” a government spokesman said.
Industrial and political responses
There are differences in commitments. Offshore Energy said that while the country still relies on fossil fuels, it is crucial to produce oil and gas at home. “The choice is clear – do we prioritize local energy or sacrifice work to rely on imports? As we use oil and gas, let us responsibly produce it here and accelerate the rollout of renewable energy.”
However, environmental groups and opposition parties condemned the plan. Tessa Khan of the campaign group Uplift called it “reckless” and warned that this means “more emissions, more environmental damage and casting of oil and gas giants at the national cost”.
Liberal Democratic environment spokesman Tim Farron will move “irresponsible environmental vandalism”, while Green MP Ellie Chowns said: “The best choice for jobs and growth in the UK is investment in the green industry, not complying with 20th-century technology.”
Larger pictures
Scientists warn that 2024 is the first year of global average temperatures, surpassing pre-industrial levels (the lower threshold of the Paris Agreement), the hottest year since the start of the record.
The Scottish government also urged caution. Scottish Energy Minister Gillian Martin said the North Sea Basin is “mature” and a “responsible approach” requires planning a transition to new fuels while protecting the skilled workforce in the Northeast.
The current Labor government noted that “the largest investment in offshore winds and three carbon capture and storage clusters ever made” is evidence of its commitment to energy security and climate goals.
As energy security and climate policy will be a flashpoint in the next election, Badennock’s commitment highlights the Conservatives’ strategy to position themselves as a fossil fuel expansion party, even as global pressures accelerate the shift to renewable energy.
