In 2026, the UK has faced record breaking temperatures and droughts. We’ve also faced record wildfires; including one which burned down houses in the town of Stourbridge. Add to this water shortages and hosepipe bans, and it’s pretty clear the UK isn’t ready to deal with climate change. In response, you’d expect Andy Burnham to rethink his reported plan to drill for more fossil fuels. Instead, the man is apparently going to insult our collective intelligence:
NEW: Andy Burnham is set to delay approving new North Sea oil and gas drilling due to the "optics" of doing so during the UK wildfires
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) August 17, 2026
Burn ’em Burnham
2026 has been a particularly extreme year because of the underlying El Niño event, which is set to be among the strongest on record. It’s expected that this same event will create even more extreme weather next year.
While 2026 and 2027 may be outliers in terms of extreme conditions, the question is how long will that last? 2028 may see things go more back to ‘normal’, but it won’t be the normal of 50 or 20 years ago; it will be the normal of today. And this normal will continue to shift year on year as the effects of human-driven climate change worsen.
Because of “optics”, Burnham will reportedly not make any sort of decision until the Autumn. Of course, this plan working will be reliant on the weather calming down. While temperatures will no doubt have cooled by then, we can’t rule out extreme rain. This wouldn’t ordinarily raise an eyebrow in Britain, but the drought we’ve experienced puts us at risk of flash floods and mudslides.
A spokesperson from No 10 has said:
The decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw will be taken by the energy secretary through a quasi-judicial process.
Additionally:
She will consider the relevant evidence, including environmental assessments and representations received during the consultation process before reaching a decision.
One senior climate source told me they think Jackdaw could be approved (smaller, more gas) while the larger Rosebank site is rejected.
I suspect the ‘optics’ will also be bad when we have extreme weather this Winter! Namely lots of flooding… https://t.co/1ysnmHfnEH
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) August 17, 2026
No help
It’s no secret why Burnham is considering more drilling; it’s because his boss Donald Trump wants it:
'If they open up the North Sea the UK will be rich again'
Donald Trump says he has had a 'good conversation' with Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
He says he thinks the PM will open up the North Sea, adding he will have 'solved' the UK's 'energy problem' if he does. pic.twitter.com/dwK9aClOVg
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 17, 2026
Do you think Trump wants us to drill because he cares about UK energy security? Or because his friends will profit from extracting our oil?
As we’ve reported before, even proponents of more drilling admit that it won’t lower bills for regular people. Burnham himself is arguing the following:
We won’t be able to stop using oil and gas for some time, that’s just a fact. The question is whether we can accelerate use of it so that we pay for the transition, and one thing helps the other … whether that extraction can be the bridge to the clean energy future we need, and bring it forward. It’s about a pragmatic approach to both of those.
As we previously reported, however:
Despite repeated claims since Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran began, new oil and gas fields like Rosebank will not reduce the UK’s reliance on gas imports. In fact, even if Rosebank gets the green light, it will only reduce our national dependency by 1%.
The field’s reserves are mainly oil for export, set to sell on the international market. They will not power British cars or industry, with the profits benefiting Shell and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund while the UK taxpayer effectively covers most of the development costs thanks to huge tax breaks.
Robert Palmer of Uplift, meanwhile, has said:
While the oil and gas industry does everything in its power to push Burnham into Trump’s drill baby, drill agenda, the nation’s new prime minister has watched the UK and Europe burn baby, burn.
Moving backwards
After ignoring the record temperatures and drought conditions for several weeks, Andy Burnham came out of hiding to ask shops to stop selling disposable barbecues. This is not a serious politician. He is, however, a man who needs to be liked. This is why we need to make it very, very clear that there is no path towards future electoral success unless he takes this crisis seriously.
Featured image via Geoff Pugh / APACHE
By Willem Moore
