Tories pledge to get all oil and gas out of North Sea
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has vowed to abolish all net zero restrictions on oil and gas exploration in the North Sea if elected, marking a sharp shift in her party’s climate policy.
Speaking in Aberdeen on Tuesday, Badenoch said her priority would be to “get all our oil and gas out of the North Sea”, promising to reform regulations that she argued were holding back the economy and threatening energy security.
Her pledge directly challenges the Labour government’s ban on new exploration licences. Ministers have defended the restriction as part of a “fair and orderly transition” away from fossil fuels, warning that fresh drilling would not cut bills or improve energy efficiency but would instead worsen the climate crisis.
Major Climate Policy Reversal
The UK’s legal commitment to reach net zero by 2050 was introduced under Theresa May in 2019 and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement, signed by nearly 200 countries. Successive governments had reaffirmed the target, but Badenoch has openly argued that achieving it is “impossible” and that requirements on North Sea producers should be scrapped.
“While neighbours like Norway extract oil and gas from the same seabed, it’s absurd that we are leaving vital reserves untapped,” she said, drawing comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda.
Her stance contrasts sharply with President Joe Biden’s climate policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which funnelled billions of dollars into renewables.
Industry and Environmental Response
The oil and gas industry has already seen a policy shift. In 2023, then–Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued 100 new drilling licences, insisting this was “consistent with net zero commitments.” Meanwhile, energy giants such as BP have scaled back renewable investments to focus on more profitable oil and gas production.
Campaigners have condemned Badenoch’s plans. Tessa Khan, executive director of advocacy group Uplift, called the move “reckless”.
“These rules are the bare minimum needed to hold the industry accountable. Removing them means more emissions, more environmental risks, and bigger handouts to oil and gas giants at the country’s expense,” she said.
Reform UK has also pledged to abandon the drive towards net zero altogether, while both the Liberal Democrats and Greens remain committed to cutting emissions.
Global Climate Context
The announcement comes after 2024 was confirmed as the hottest year on record, with average global temperatures reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The UK is legally bound to keep global temperature rises “well below” 2°C under the Paris Agreement, with heavy investment already committed to offshore wind and three carbon capture and storage clusters. The latter, which trap CO₂ emissions and store them deep underground, are considered vital by the International Energy Agency for limiting dangerous warming.
