Miatta Fahnbulleh was appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in July (Alamy)
4 min read1 hr
A “common sense” approach to climate change and the clean energy transition can fend off challenges from the Greens, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has said.
On Wednesday, Fahnbulleh gave the green light for gas to be produced at the licensed Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, which the government says will supply gas to British homes and businesses as early as the end of this month.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was a “pragmatic” step that would allow the UK to “build a bridge to a renewable future” while sticking to its net zero commitments.
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Labour had “abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change” by approving gas drilling at the Scottish site.
Asked by PoliticsHome on Thursday whether this decision could leave a political opening for the Greens to exploit, Fahnbulleh said a “common sense” route was the best way to persuade voters about the need to transition to green energy.
“We are running at the transition for all the reasons I’ve set out, but as we do that, you’re going to need gas,” she said.
“The Committee for Climate Change is very clear that gas is part of our pathway for the coming decades.
“So, your choice in the case of Jackdaw is: are you on, ideological grounds, which is where I think the Greens are, saying, ‘oh yes, we recognise we need gas, but not from our own shores, not homegrown’. So are you importing it?”
She described approving Jackdaw as a “no-brainer decision” and said it was now her and the Labour Party’s job to communicate that to the public.
“Voters can see that,” she said.
“They’re not ideological on these questions; they’re just quite common sense, and I think it’s a common sense position.
“We’re focused on our game… I stood down from Keir [Starmer’s] team because I just didn’t think we were a Labour Party that was confident in what we were about and what we were trying to do and the answers we had from our country.
“We need to focus on that. That’s what Andy [Burnham] is focusing on. And if we do that, well, the Greens can get on with whatever they’re doing.”
The government has not yet announced its decision as to whether to approve production at the giant Rosebank oilfield, but it is widely reported that the Energy Secretary is leaning towards refusing it.
Those opposed to approving production at Rosebank say it would be a significantly bigger polluter than Jackdaw, and stress that the oil would be exported overseas, rather than used to supply homes and businesses in the UK.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Fahnbulleh said: “Because it is so contested, process really matters, and the last government learned that because they didn’t do the process properly, and that’s why we’ve had this massive delay because it got contested, it got turned over in the courts.”
She added that even her own advisers do not know the decision she is going to make, as she is still following the process to determine the balance to strike between prioritising the climate and economic considerations such as jobs and economic growth.
“It’s a really tight process for that very reason,” she said.
“It’s a regulatory process. It’s not a policy process, and ultimately there are a set of tests that I have to make that decision against.”
Fahnbulleh said that she was also bearing in mind that “if it is overturned by other colleagues, all that means is it’s going to be overturned in the courts”.
“So we will do the process, and we will do it properly,” she said.
The Cabinet minister expressed concern that the climate agenda has become more politicised in the last few years.
“It is painful and tragic to watch that consensus burn at a time when we’re seeing the impacts of climate change this summer,” she said, adding that politicians needed to be able to explain how net zero would benefit voters.
“The way I think we win this, and my test is at the end of three years, is that I need to be able to point to things that people can see. They won’t believe any of us politicians. They need to see that it validates the argument that the transition must happen, but it can, and it will happen in a way that is good for people.
“If we do that, we’ll win the argument because I think we’re on the right side of history.”
