Politics · 2 hours ago

Burnham bill blocks new North Sea oil licences.

Gary Bembridge from London, UK via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The bill would strip the North Sea Transition Authority, the regulator that hands out drilling licences, of its power to grant new ones. Existing fields could still add output from neighbouring areas, which the government says could yield about 60 million barrels of oil. The Conservatives called the plan "dangerous", while Greenpeace UK welcomed it but wants the Rosebank field off Shetland rejected.

By BriefTea Editorial · 5 November 2026 at 1:02

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs