Plan to expand North Sea oil drilling announced – as critics slam Rishi Sunak’s

The government will support “hundreds” of new licences off the coast of Scotland, while new plans for a “clean” carbon capture industry could support up to 50,000 new roles, according to Downing Street.

The prime minister has announced an expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea amid ongoing rows in his party over the future of its climate commitments.

Number 10 said hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted off the coast of Scotland to “boost British energy independence” and “reduce reliance on hostile states”.

The move puts a marker between the government and Labour, which has proposed a block on all domestic new oil and gas drilling as part of its strategy to achieve zero-carbon electricity by 2030.

Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband accused Rishi Sunak of lurching towards “a culture war on climate” to make up for “13 years of failed Tory energy policy”.

Politics live: Sunak set to announce millions in carbon capture funding

Mr Sunak and his ministers have stressed the need to use North Sea fossil fuel resources, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which is responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries, is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round, and they expect to award over 100 new licenses in the autumn.

But such moves have prompted alarm from climate campaigners, with the government already facing opposition to any development of Rosebank, 80 miles northwest of Shetland.

The PM has also confirmed locations for two new carbon capture usage and storage clusters ahead of a visit to Aberdeenshire today – where he is expected to announce multi-million pound funding for the schemes.

The Acorn carbon capture project in North East Scotland – a joint venture between Shell and other firms – and the Viking project in the Humber will be “vital to driving forward and investing in clean technologies that we need to realise our net zero target”, Downing Street said.

But while ministers predict the move could support up to 50,000 jobs, the target for the two new sites to be up and running isn’t until 2030.

‘We’re choosing to power up Britain’

Ahead of his visit to Scotland, Mr Sunak said: “We have all witnessed how Putin has manipulated and weaponised energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world.

“Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses.

“Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas.

“But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home.

“We’re choosing to power up Britain from Britain and invest in crucial industries such as carbon capture and storage, rather than depend on more carbon-intensive gas imports from overseas – which will support thousands of skilled jobs, unlock further opportunities for green technologies and grow the economy.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said it was right to be “conscious of energy security” and keeping the large oil and gas workforce in Scotland employed, calling it a “silly position” to end all drilling.

But speaking to Sky News, he did not give his full support to the new licenses, saying Tory plans to “take every single drop” from the North Sea was “a little bit morally bankrupt”.

He added: “We need to be conscious of the fact that every single drop of oil or indeed a molecule of gas that we take out of the North Sea will have a concurrent impact on climate change.”

Mr Flynn called for “robust climate compatibility checkpoints” to be put in place for any new licenses.

Meanwhile, Labour’s Mr Miliband questioned whether the PM was the right person to make the decisions over future energy security.

“Every family and business is paying the price, in higher energy bills,” he said. “It is absurd that having left this country so exposed, the…