Streeting does Blair’s bidding with call for more drilling

Last Updated on 31 May 2026 by Willem Moore



Tony Blair and Wes Streeting

On 26 May, the wax-faced war criminal Tony Blair returned with a half-baked essay on what the UK should do next. Among his widely-panned arguments was the suggestion that we need to increase North Sea drilling. And now, like clockwork, the Blairite homunculus Wes Streeting has stepped forwards to make roughly the same argument:

New Streeting, New Danger

In his essay, Blair wrote:

3. We must prioritise cheaper energy and electrification over net zero and use what is left of our North Sea oil and gas resources. This is essential for our competitiveness and for taking advantage of AI.

Responding to this, the CEO of Naked Energy wrote:

The conflict in Iran has given us yet another reminder that dependence on gas weakens our energy security. UK wholesale gas prices rose by around 90% in the first week of the conflict alone, and that volatility feeds straight through to businesses and households.

Shifting towards generating our own gas does not change this, because the fuel extracted from the North Sea is sold at international prices, so it does not provide households or businesses with any insulation from global shocks.

You’ll note Blair’s proposal is in line with the far-right parties Reform UK and Restore Britain. While you can’t simply do the opposite of what your opponents do, it’s important to note that both Blair and the far-right are ignoring the same key information:

Getting to Streeting, here’s what the ex-health secretary said when asked if the UK should grant new licenses:

Yes. I think that’s probably where Ed will get to. When he makes a decision, I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the case.

The granting of those licences will not necessarily translate into cheaper bills, but it will translate into higher tax receipts

Cheaper bills for Britons?

No.

Increased profits for the corporate vultures who are waiting to slurp up what’s left in the North Sea?

Absolutely!

AI freefall

You’ll note Blair’s given reason for supporting more drilling was AI. No prizes for guessing why that is:

While figures like Blair are talking up AI, the AI companies themselves are experiencing something of a meltdown. Until recently, they charged businesses a subscription fee; something they struggled to make money from, because AI models cost so much to run. Now they’ve switched to capping how much customers can use, and as a result businesses have started to ask themselves:

  1. Can we afford this?
  2. Are we getting any sort of return on investment?

As AI critic Ed Zitron has reported, the answer to question 1 is increasingly ‘no‘: the answer to question 2 is usually ‘we’re not even sure how to measure it‘:

The problems don’t end there either:

Despite all this, the establishment continues to tell us that AI is inevitable. And while some future technology may one day make that statement true, the signs aren’t good for the generative AI that’s currently being sold to us.

Popular support

To be entirely clear on the North Sea situation, many Britons think we should open new oil and gas developments:

We could really do with a follow-up question here, though, as we doubt people will feel the same once you explain: ‘this plan won’t bring your bills down even slightly‘.

To be entirely fair to Wes Streeting, he is at least admitting now that more drilling won’t benefit ordinary people. To be less fair to him, it’s time to make like a North Sea rig and get in the f*cking sea.

Featured image via Carl Court (Getty Images)

By Willem Moore





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