A clear cabinet divide has surfaced over whether to approve drilling at the Rosebank oilfield, with Chancellor John Healey backing the controversial North Sea project and energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh leaning towards a rejection. The ultimate authority rests with the energy secretary, but the political dynamics suggest the prime minister will face a difficult call.
The Core of the Dispute
The debate centres on how the government views the Rosebank licence alongside the recently permitted Jackdaw gasfield. Chancellor Healey has signalled his support by suggesting he expects oil and gas revenues to flow into a new energy wealth fund, implying he anticipates income from Rosebank. Fahnbulleh, however, argues that the logic justifying the smaller gasfield does not transfer to the larger oilfield. As she told the Guardian, “One is a gasfield that caters for the domestic market, while the other is an oilfield that is mainly for export.” Furthermore, she stressed that “it is absolutely critical that the decision is consistent with our climate obligations, our carbon budgets and the end destination we need to get to
