Rishi Sunak in hot waters: The British PM defends expansion of oil drilling off the coast of Scotland amidst climate concerns

Key Takeaways:

• Rishi Sunak has announced plans to allow expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea
• Labor Party MPs and Tory colleagues claim his move is bad for the environment
• However, the British PM has come out to strongly defend his move

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Rishi Sunak has come out strongly to back his government’s plan to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland. The British Prime Minister has become the target of strong criticism after his recent announcement that he would grant new licenses to companies to extract fuel off the coast of Scotland. 

The new announcement by 10 Downing Street envisions enhancing Britain’s energy independence. According to Sunak, it will reduce the country’s reliance on potentially hostile states, including Russia. 

According to the British Prime Minister, granting hundreds of new licenses aligns with the nation’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

However, critics argue that this decision poses a significant threat to the UK’s climate commitments. 

Sunak’s oil and gas license plans find opposition across party lines  

The first British PM of Indian origin has to fend off criticism not only from the opposition benches but from his party colleagues as well. 

Tory MP Chris Skidmore, who served as Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, argued that Rishi Sunak would find himself “on the wrong side of history” if he went ahead with his plan.  

As Minister, Skidmore signed the United Kingdom’s Net Zero Pledge into law in June 2019.

“It is on the wrong side of a future economy that will be founded on renewable and clean industries and not fossil fuels. It is on the wrong side of modern voters who will vote with their feet at the next general election for parties that protect, and not threaten, our environment, and it is on the wrong side of history that will not look favorably on the decision taken today,” 

he remarked. 

Meanwhile, Labor Party leader Keir Starmer has slammed the Tories for their “13 years of failure”. With the hope of winning over voters, especially from Scotland, Starmer promised to make Britain “a clean energy superpower” with “lower bills”.

His Party colleague and shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband 

“Rishi Sunak’s weak and confused policy will not take a penny off bills, as his own party chair has admitted, will do nothing for our energy security… The only route to energy security is through homegrown clean power. It is completely mad that Rishi Sunak talks about energy but has no plan to accelerate clean, cheap, homegrown power,” 

he wrote. 

Scottish politicians are divided over the issue 

Meanwhile, the announcement has torn Scottish Politics apart. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the Government there, has welcomed funding for the Acorn carbon capture project.

The SNP, under former leader Nicola Sturgeon, had pushed for Government funding for the project. In 2021, the Tories failed to deliver amid much anticipation, drawing criticism from the SNP. 

Moreover, in March, ex-first minister Nicola Sturgeon stated that Rishi Sunak had assured her that he would make an announcement regarding the project during the Spring Budget. However, the announcement didn’t come. 

Now, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn is in no hurry to celebrate. 

“Any investment is of course welcome. However, the UK Government has taken Scotland down this path before – and failed to deliver every single time, leaving Scotland’s green energy future in jeopardy. This cannot happen again. There can be no more broken promises or delays. Now is the time to strike on Scotland’s green energy potential,” 

Flynn said, according to The National.

However, their coalition partners, the Greens, are not so thrilled. While acknowledging the importance of carbon capture and storage, the party emphasized that it should not come as an excuse for further North Sea drilling. 

According to them, increased drilling activities would have a detrimental effect on the environment. However, Rishi Sunak is unhinged. The move could snowball into a major political controversy, costing Sunak his office. 

On the flip side, the Tories could win a lot of friends and votes from Scotland. Time will tell.