Reform UK Demands Full Extraction of UK Oil and Gas Reserves
Reform UK has issued a stark call for the United Kingdom to extract every last barrel and drop of its available oil and gas resources. The party's energy spokesperson, Richard Tice MP, made this declaration during a press conference held in Aberdeen, emphasising the critical need for domestic energy security amidst global instability.
North Sea Development and Fracking Backed
Mr Tice insisted that the UK Government must approve all existing drilling consents for the North Sea, specifically highlighting the controversial Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. These projects have faced significant opposition from environmental campaigners, but Tice argued they are absolutely vital for sending a sign of confidence to the energy industry.
Furthermore, he advocated for the extraction of onshore shale gas resources, citing his own constituency in Lincolnshire as having potential reserves equivalent to roughly a decade of UK gas demand. We should be extracting everything we possibly can, safely of course, Tice stated, drawing parallels to the United States' shale gas revolution which transformed its economy from an energy importer to an exporter.
Energy Security and Economic Arguments
The Reform MP linked his demands directly to the current surge in energy prices, which he attributed to conflict in the Gulf. With everything that's going on in the world at the moment, has there ever been a more important time to understand the importance of having our own secure supply of energy? he questioned. During the press conference, a staged power cut was orchestrated to underscore the fragility of energy supply, with Tice claiming the UK narrowly avoided blackouts the previous year.
He argued that utilising domestic gas would lead to cheap energy, cheap gas, cheap electricity once again, thereby reducing household bills and the overall cost of living. If we use our own gas, then, we can have cheap domestically priced gas and that will bring our bills down, that will bring the cost of living down, Tice asserted.
Four-Point Plan and Regulatory Changes
Mr Tice announced Reform UK's critical four-point plan for the energy sector. A central proposal is to rename the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, back to the Oil and Gas Authority. More significantly, he demanded its statutory mandate be changed to prioritise maximum economic recovery of fossil fuels.
We have to give a clear message to the oil and gas industry that we are deadly serious, Tice said. That's why we need to rename the North Sea Transition Authority – we need to take it back to being the Oil and Gas Authority. And, critically, we need to change its statutory mandate, that should be maximum economic recovery. As far as I'm concerned, frankly, every last barrel, every last drop.
The plan also includes abolishing the Energy Profits Levy, commonly known as the windfall tax, which was introduced under the Conservative government and maintained by Labour. Tice argued this tax disincentivises investment, pointing out that 49 new wells were drilled in Norwegian waters last year compared to none in the UK—a situation he labelled frankly a humiliation.
Environmental Campaigners Voice Strong Opposition
Robert Palmer, deputy director of the campaign group Uplift, which advocates for a rapid and fair transition away from fossil fuels, strongly criticised Reform's proposals. Reform's pledge to 'drill the North Sea', while promising to block renewables, is a nightmare double whammy that would see higher energy bills for longer, he stated.
Palmer argued that new drilling would not enhance UK energy security, noting that most of the UK's gas has already been consumed and the remaining North Sea resources are predominantly oil, which is largely exported. He also dismissed job creation promises, highlighting that employment in the oil and gas sector halved under the previous UK government.
Given the Trumpflation caused by the Iran conflict, we need to get off our dependency on fossil fuels by doubling down on renewables, like wind, and upgrading homes with solar power and heat pumps, so we can free ourselves from oil and gas, Palmer concluded, advocating for an accelerated shift to renewable energy sources instead.
