In June, the Climate Change Committee published their latest damning findings. The report concluded that Britain has lost leadership in climate action; that Government failure means progress has stalled; and that climate targets are being missed on nearly every front. The Chair of the Committee, and former Conservative environment secretary, Lord Deben, went as far as to say that approving new fossil fuel projects, like Cumbria coal mine and Rosebank oilfield, was “total nonsense”.

Despite this, on the morning the report was published and the day after the four year anniversary of net-zero targets becoming enshrined in law, the Government once again refused to rule out green-lighting the Rosebank oilfield.

Developing the UK’s largest undeveloped oilfield won’t make energy affordable and it won’t make Britain secure. It will threaten nature and destroy UK climate leadership. All whilst stuffing the pockets of profiteering energy giants, who for decades have cashed in at the expense of a safe climate. 

I joined more than 50 MPs and Peers to write to Grant Shapps urging him not to approve the Rosebank oil field and wrote this piece for Yorkshire Post.

Earlier in the year I spoke during the debate on Rosebank. You can watch my intervention here.