Green Party warns Burnham not to commit ‘climate crimes’

As the UK faces another heatwave, the Green Party has warned Andy Burnham not to add to the problems we face:

As the UK enters its third heatwave of the year it couldn't be clearer: we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels.

We'd like to remind Andy Burnham that approving new oil and gas licences is a climate crime. It won't deliver energy security and it won't take a penny off our… pic.twitter.com/Hk5isaFRbv

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) July 8, 2026

Green Party step in

The message from the Greens reads in full:

As the UK enters its third heatwave of the year it couldn’t be clearer: we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels.

We’d like to remind Andy Burnham that approving new oil and gas licences is a climate crime. It won’t deliver energy security and it won’t take a penny off our bills.

The only way to deliver cheaper, secure, homegrown energy is to invest rapidly in renewable power.

If nothing else, the US and and Israel’s disastrous war on Iran should have taught us that we need to wean ourselves off oil. The way to do that is to go big on renewables and electrification.

As we’ve reported, investing in more oil drilling wouldn’t even bring prices down; something even supporters admit. Drilling in the North Sea would benefit one group, however, and that’s the handful of petro-billionaires who we’d pay to sell it on our behalf. And the Green Party has a message about them too:

A new report shows Britain has made almost no progress in closing the gap between rich and poor regions for nearly 30 years.

This is a result of political choices and it doesn't have to be this way. Tax the super-rich and invest in every community. pic.twitter.com/A5hBX1T5n6

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) July 8, 2026

Forwards together

If we want a future that works for everyone, we need to invest in ideas and technologies that can make that happen. Extracting the last of the North Sea oil will benefit no one besides the rich. Worse than that, the extra carbon released will prove to be an enormous detriment to all of us.

As you may be expecting, Burnham has proven to be wishy washy on this issue, as we reported on 3 July:

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.

Additionally:

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.

If you want this country to have any future whatsoever, make your voices heard now.

Featured image via the Canary