‘Don’t burn em’ Burnham!’ campaigners protest new oil outside parliament

Campaigners from Fossil Free London challenged prime minister elect Andy Burnham in a protest outside parliament on 2 July. Uncertainty lingers over whether he will approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea oil fields once he enters No.10.

People held flame cut-outs and stood behind a banner reading ‘Fossil Fuels? Andy, Don’t Burn ’em!’. Others held placards that read ‘Stop Rosebank’, ‘Stop Jackdaw’ and ‘Stop North Sea Drilling’.

The Burnham protest comes just after the UK endured a record-breaking heatwave. It closed hundreds of schools, as this June became the hottest the UK has ever seen. Scientists stress this extreme heat would not be possible without the climate crisis, driven by burning fossil fuels.

Although Burnham didn’t explicitly mention North Sea drilling in his 29 June speech outlining his vision for the country, he has previously said he was ‘open minded’ on the issue. He also appointed James Purnell, a former advisor for BP, as his Chief of Staff.

As speculation rises, scores of Labour MPs, trade unions and Green Party leader Zack Polanski have called for Burnham to rule out new North Sea drilling.

The Rosebank oil field was originally approved in 2023 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, but this decision was overturned in the Scottish courts in January 2025. The Burnham government will now need to remake this decision, taking into account the project’s full climate impacts.

Burning Rosebank’s total estimated oil and gas reserves would emit more carbon dioxide than is released annually by the world’s 28 lowest-income countries combined.

Robin Wells from Fossil Free London said:

As the UK swelters through record-breaking June heat, Big Oil is already lobbying our new prime minister to double down on fossil fuels.

We are being cooked alive for profit. New oil and gas projects do nothing to lower our energy bills, only driving more deadly extreme weather and bumper fossil fuel profits.

But as temperatures rise, so do we. The British public deserves a safe climate, affordable energy, and long-term food security, and only a decisive end to the era of oil and gas can deliver what we need.

Featured image via Fossil Free London