North Sea chief urges Andy Burnham to approve more oil and gas projects

The head of the North Sea energy sector, David Whitehouse, has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to act on his support for the oil and gas industry by approving a "bigger pipeline of projects," ahead of a decision on the Jackdaw oil field. Whitehouse, CEO of Offshore Energies UK, called for environmental consent for several key projects, warning that failure to support the sector could harm Scotland's offshore wind supply chains. He also demanded reforms to the energy profits levy be brought forward to next year's Budget. The industry estimates 111 additional projects could unlock £50 billion of investment and 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Critics note Jackdaw would provide just 2 per cent of UK gas demand over its lifetime.