Eco-Millionaire Dale Vince Backs North Sea Drilling for Savings

On Monday, August 18, Labour's eco-millionaire donor Dale Vince reversed his opposition to new North Sea oil and gas drilling, stating that approving the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields could save money for the country.

Vince, who previously advised Prime Minister Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester mayor, told BBC Newsnight that combining new drilling with price control on wholesale energy would help reduce bills. He argued that if fossil fuels are still used, producing them domestically makes sense for savings and job creation. Rosebank is the UK's largest remaining untapped oil field, located about 80 miles west of Shetland, while the Jackdaw gas field is 150 miles east of Aberdeen.

Vince, who has donated over £6 million to Labour through his Ecotricity firm, had previously called approval of the sites a betrayal of millions. The UK government is expected to delay its decision on the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects until next month due to optics concerns following recent wildfires across the country. The consultation on Rosebank closed on Monday, and the consultation on Jackdaw ended last week.

Decisions on both fields are now with UK Government ministers, including Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh and Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Wildfires have raged across the UK, including in the Cairngorms and Stourbridge, where 54 people were treated and 19 admitted to hospital. Over 200 musicians, including Brian Eno and members of Radiohead, called on Burnham to block Rosebank, arguing it will not lower household bills or improve energy security as most oil will be exported.