A powerful cross-industry group led by North Sea energy producers has delivered a strongly worded letter to the incoming government, warning that policy makers must back homegrown oil and gas ahead of imports, alongside greater support for UK manufacturing and industry.
The letter is signed by industry executives, trade unionists, and trade bodies from chemicals to engineering, aggregates and building materials to the offshore energy sector and the shipping industry.
It has been sent to all 403 Labour MPs and makes clear that the UK economy is at a turning point. Decisions made now will be key to the economic success or failure of the UK in the coming decades.
It is being presented at Westminster today in Parliament Square, Westminster to a representative group of Labour MPs from the growing number sympathetic to the argument that supporting North Sea production is not just a commitment to homegrown energy but also a commitment to UK manufacturing, industrial capability and the skilled workforce that has powered the nation for generations.
The letter will be handed over by a group of industrial workers clad in their workday wear of PPE and hard hats. Also present will be apprentices from around the country making clear that future jobs and livelihoods depend on UK productivity, not imports.
Presentation of the letter will follow an all-industry summit and discussion today which will include presentations from the GMB union and the Chemical Industries Association, spelling out the importance of a secure supply of reliable and affordable home-produced oil and gas to reduce dependence on imports, protect UK jobs and achieve industrial growth.
At the same time as these events in London, giant banners visible from the air will be displayed on more than a dozen offshore installations and onshore industrial sites bearing the words: Back North Sea oil and gas. Not imports.
The letter highlights that the UK will continue to require oil and gas for decades and argues that the key policy choice is whether those resources are produced domestically or increasingly imported from overseas. Signatories warn that growing reliance on imports could expose the country to geopolitical risks while undermining jobs, communities and supply chains across the UK.
David Whitehouse chief executive of Offshore Energies UK said:
'Our colleagues in other industries are joining us to show their support for this basic message. Energy security, economic resilience and reindustrialisation depend on maintaining domestic energy production as well as greater investment in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
'We fully support the government’s ambition to build a secure, lower-carbon energy system, but energy transition must follow an 'all-energy approach' that builds on existing industrial strengths and strengthens rather than weakens national industrial capability.'
Steve Elliott, Chief Executive Chemical Industries Association said:
'As a key foundation industry which is core to jobs and the wider economy the UK chemical sector must attract investment. Fundamental to that is our ability to access competitive and secure energy to run our factories and to produce the critical materials that underpin the country’s critical infrastructure, our growth sectors and the clean energy future.
'If the new administration is serious about re-industrialisation and good growth across the country, then it must do all it can to make that energy competitive and secure. Backing North Sea oil and gas alongside renewables is not about slowing progress. On the contrary, it is about strengthening industrial competitiveness, protecting jobs and reducing reliance on imports in an increasingly volatile world.
This morning’s announcement is a key part of the answer, let’s get on with it'.
Gary Smith, GMB Union General Secretary, said:
'In an increasingly uncertain world, it is more important than ever that we can get the energy we need to power our homes, businesses, and essential public services.
'We will need oil and gas for decades to come. Increasing our reliance on imported energy from overseas for the essential elements that power our economy and keep the country going, leaves us worryingly exposed.
'GMB is looking to the Government to show it understands the significance of this moment – jobs, communities, and our national security are at stake.'
Elizabeth de Jong, Chief Executive Officer, Fuels Industry UK said:
'The UK continues to need fuels; it makes sense to maximise the value created here at home by supporting both refineries and North Sea production. Domestic manufacturing sustains high-skilled jobs, strengthens energy security and underpins our industrial future.'
- The full text of the letter is available here
Original announcement link
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