Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from Just Stop Oil by criticising its call to immediately cease drilling for oil and gas as “contemptible”.
Writing in The Times, Starmer confirmed that a Labour government would not revoke any existing licences. The Labour leader said he would only block new oil and gas developments in the North Sea, a policy designed to cut reliance on fossil fuels.
The clarification of Labour’s policy comes after shadow frontbenchers contradicted each other in response to Rishi Sunak’s announcement of plans to grant more than 100 exploration licences for new oilfields and gasfields before the next election.
The comments also respond to a warning by unions that a policy to block new oil and gas developments in the North Sea
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