Drilling at Jackdaw

Early day motion 1004, tabled 21 October 2026 by Carla Denyer (Green). Signed by 5 members.

That this House notes that the UK Government’s decision to license new drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea is at odds with their 2024 manifesto commitment not to issue licences to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills and cannot make us energy secure; believes that this decision ignores the climate science consensus and the UN’s warning that immediate and sustained cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are crucial to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown; further notes that Jackdaw is projected to contribute just 2% of UK gas demand at most over its lifetime, will only create 27 direct full-time jobs and, according to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, does not solve the problem of affordability; further believes that the only way to achieve genuine energy sovereignty is to get the UK off fossil fuels as fast as possible; recognises the ongoing and extensive public support for action to protect against the impacts of climate breakdown; and therefore calls on the Government to keep all new fossil fuels in the ground, including at Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, and instead focus on measures that would bring down bills and create secure jobs, like scaling up cheaper home-grown renewables, rolling out a fully-funded national home insulation programme, fully decoupling the price of gas from electricity, and ending rampant profiteering by energy companies.

Signatures by party: Green 5.