Right now, the UK is importing large amounts of oil and gas from overseas while leaving its own reserves in the ground.
This does not reduce global emissions it simply outsources them. We do not need to abandon net zero, but we do need to be honest about the journey.
This is not just about reopening existing fields. It is about approving new licences and developing future supply. Without new licences, domestic production will decline and import dependence will rise.
Reopening and expanding UK oil and gas production would:
• Improve energy security — reducing reliance on foreign supply
• Support jobs and industry — especially in Scotland and the North Sea
• Strengthen the economy — through tax revenues, investment, and supply chains
• Reduce carbon leakage — producing under stricter environmental standards
• Enable a realistic transition — renewables require stability and backup
The UK still relies heavily on oil and gas for heating, transport, manufacturing, and electricity backup — particularly when wind output drops and solar generation is low.
Shutting down domestic production while demand remains does not eliminate dependency — it shifts it abroad.
A serious energy policy must be pragmatic, not ideological.
We should use the resources we have — and develop the ones we know we will need.
Right now, the UK is operating dangerously close to a just-in-time energy system — with limited storage and high import dependence.
That is not resilience. It is vulnerability.
