More drilling in North Sea OK, but ban on new licences stays

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has returned from the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, where he championed the UK's world-leading promise to ban all new oil and gas licences and backed the call for a blueprint to "transition away from fossil fuels".

- Helena Horton

Back home, the government says it is sticking to its manifesto pledge of no new licences - but it still plans to allow some new drilling in oil and gas fields that already have existing licences.

The North Sea strategy, released yesterday alongside the autumn budget, will introduce "transitional energy certificates" that will allow new drilling on or near existing fields. These are called "tiebacks" and will enable a small amount of new fossil fuel extraction. The government argues this will help ensure they remain economically viable and are managed for the entirety of their lifespan.

Environmental campaigners say this will result in a relatively low amount of fossil fuel extraction.

Tessa Khan, the executive director of the environmental nonprofit Uplift, said: "This government is right to end the fiction of endless drilling. The North Sea is an ageing basin, with most of the gas already burned, and new licensing will do nothing to stem the decline in jobs.