Labour MP Torcuil Crichton says he showed incoming prime minister Andy Burnham a map tracing North Sea jobs across the UK, as he pushes the new government toward a more pragmatic approach to oil and gas.
Crichton, a member of Westminster's Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, told BBC Radio Scotland the map came from the committee's roundtable with the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce. It plotted the postcode payslips of two tier one companies based in Aberdeen, with dots reaching across the UK. Crichton said he showed the same map to Burnham to make the point that the future of the North Sea affects communities well beyond Aberdeen.
Pushing for pragmatism on Jackdaw
Crichton said he and other Labour MPs have been calling on Burnham to take "a more pragmatic approach to the North Sea." He argued for approving the Jackdaw gas field, saying "we are in an energy crisis now." Without gas from Jackdaw, he said, the UK would need LNG imports from the Middle East or shale gas from the US, both of which he said carry a bigger carbon footprint than domestic supply.
Crichton also warned that running down the North Sea before the renewable energy sector reaches full scale would push the supply chain that builds the UK's low-carbon future abroad, costing jobs and expertise.
His comments follow similar calls from committee chair Bill Esterson and fellow Labour MP Graeme Downie, who have also urged a pragmatic approach to supporting domestic oil and gas production alongside the energy transition.
We reported last month that Badenoch presses Burnham to protect North Sea drilling from ICJ ruling.
