Green Party warns Burnham not to commit βclimate crimesβ
As the UK faces another heatwave, the Green Party has warned Andy Burnham not to add to the problems we face:
As the UK enters its third heatwave of the year it couldn’t be clearer: we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels.
We’d like to remind Andy Burnham that approving new oil and gas licences is a climate crime. It won’t deliver energy security and it won’t take a penny off ourβ¦ pic.twitter.com/Hk5isaFRbv
β The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) July 8, 2026
Green Party step in
The message from the Greens reads in full:
As the UK enters its third heatwave of the year it couldnβt be clearer: we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels.
Weβd like to remind Andy Burnham that approving new oil and gas licences is a climate crime. It wonβt deliver energy security and it wonβt take a penny off our bills.
The only way to deliver cheaper, secure, homegrown energy is to invest rapidly in renewable power.
If nothing else, the US and and Israelβs disastrous war on Iran should have taught us that we need to wean ourselves off oil. The way to do that is to go big on renewables and electrification.
As weβve reported, investing in more oil drilling wouldnβt even bring prices down; something even supporters admit.Β Drilling in the North Sea would benefit one group, however, and thatβs the handful of petro-billionaires who weβd pay to sell it on our behalf. And the Green Party has a message about them too:
A new report shows Britain has made almost no progress in closing the gap between rich and poor regions for nearly 30 years.
This is a result of political choices and it doesn’t have to be this way. Tax the super-rich and invest in every community. pic.twitter.com/A5hBX1T5n6
β The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) July 8, 2026
Forwards together
If we want a future that works for everyone, we need to invest in ideas and technologies that can make that happen. Extracting the last of the North Sea oil will benefit no one besides the rich. Worse than that, the extra carbon released will prove to be an enormous detriment to all of us.
As you may be expecting, Burnham has proven to be wishy washy on this issue, as we reported on 3 July:
Although Burnham didnβt explicitly mention North Sea drilling in his 29 June speech outlining his vision for the country, he has previously said he was βopen mindedβ on the issue. He also appointed James Purnell, a former advisor for BP, as his Chief of Staff.
Additionally:
The Rosebank oil field was originally approved in 2023 by Rishi Sunakβs Conservative government, butΒ this decision was overturned in the Scottish courtsΒ in January 2025. The Burnham government will now need to remake this decision, taking into account the projectβs full climate impacts.
Burning Rosebankβs total estimated oil and gas reservesΒ would emit more carbon dioxide than is released annually by the worldβs 28 lowest-income countries combined.
If you want this country to have any future whatsoever, make your voices heard now.
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore