Andy Burnham vows UK will hit net zero target despite Jackdaw gasfield approval

Activists from Fossil Free London stage protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Activists from Fossil Free London stage protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Andy Burnham vows UK will hit net zero target despite Jackdaw gasfield approval PM pledges commitment to address climate crisis, saying in Guardian article that his ‘determination is unwavering’ Andy Burnham: We will make the net-zero transition work for Britain Andy Burnham has said he will not “abandon the responsibility” of fighting the climate crisis after the government approved the Jackdaw gasfield, pledging to block new North Sea licences and keep Britain on track for net zero by 2050. We will make the net-zero transition work for Britain – approving the Jackdaw gasfield is part of the plan | Andy Burnham The comments are the prime minister’s most forthright yet on net zero, after many MPs have privately cast doubt on the authenticity of his commitment to tackling the climate crisis. The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, insisted that she alone would make a decision on whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield – a decision sources say she is minded to block. Burnham has been under pressure from industry and political opponents, as well as some Labour MPs, to water down Labour’s manifesto promises on new oil and gas licences and the net zero targets. “There has been much speculation about what this announcement means for Britain’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis. I want to be clear that our determination is unwavering,” the prime minister said in an article for the Guardian. He said he was conscious of the “acute global instability” affecting energy security and wanted to treat oil and gas workers with more dignity. Burnham said that would not stop the government from abiding , saying he was “personally committed to confronting” the challenges of the climate crisis. “Britain has just emerged from its hottest summer on record, during which we had nurses collapsing on hospital wards, bus drivers working in intolerable conditions and families losing everything to wildfires,” he wrote. “More extreme weather is forecast in the months ahead. The climate crisis is no distant threat. It is here, on our doorstep, affecting people’s lives and livelihoods. I am personally committed to confronting it, and I will not abandon the responsibility we have to future generations.” View image in fullscreen Miatta Fahnbulleh: ‘It has been really painful to watch the consensus burn at a time when we’re seeing the impact of climate change.’ Photograph: Imageplotter/AlamyMeanwhile, Fahnbulleh doubled down on her insistence that she would not be influenced , setting up a potential standoff with the Treasury.