Burnham defends Jackdaw gasfield approval as attention turns to Rosebank
The Evening Standard reported on 21 October that attention was moving to Rosebank after Andy Burnham defended the approval of the Jackdaw gasfield. The paper said gas from Jackdaw would start flowing within weeks. The Guardian reported that climate campaigners condemned the decision as ‘maddening’. Critics told the Guardian it would jeopardise climate targets, fail to cut the cost of living and distract from the need to decarbonise. The Guardian published a Ben Jennings cartoon on Mr Burnham’s decision to approve the Jackdaw North Sea gasfield. In a separate exclusive the Guardian reported that officials said energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh was minded not to give approval to the Rosebank oilfield. No formal Rosebank decision has been reported.
Jackdaw shows how the government weighs domestic gas supply and household bills against climate commitments. Rosebank is the next decision of the same kind, so the reported lean matters more as a signal than any single field’s output.
If you follow energy bills, the Jackdaw gas arriving within weeks is the near-term story, although the reports give no price effect. If you follow climate policy, the two decisions point in different directions.
Climate campaigners quoted by the Guardian say Jackdaw undermines climate targets and does nothing for bills. They see the reported Rosebank lean as a win but not as a reversal of the Jackdaw approval.
Mr Burnham, according to the Evening Standard, defended the approval and the gas due to flow within weeks. The reports in hand do not set out his full arguments, so the case for Jackdaw is thinner than the case against it.
Confirmed: the Jackdaw approval, Mr Burnham’s defence and campaigners’ condemnation. Not confirmed: the outcome on Rosebank, which rests on officials speaking to one paper. Watch today for any on-the-record announcement from the energy secretary.
DailyDrop U.K. edition No. 18 · Morning · THU., OCT. 22, 2026