Government urged to approve Rosebank and more North Sea drilling
BBC Two's Politics Live heard panellists argue that approving Rosebank and further North Sea drilling would protect households from energy price shocks and reduce reliance on imported gas.
How it was covered
- BBC Two was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on energy costs, domestic gas and the green transition.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC Two's Politics Live hosted a debate in which panellists urged the government to approve the Rosebank oil field and allow more North Sea drilling. One panellist, identified as Siobhain, said she personally supported giving Rosebank a licence. She argued that the UK would not stop using gas soon and that the choice was between domestic gas and imports. She asked whether the alternative was to buy gas from another country and help Russia.
On the same programme, Taj put the climate case. He said failure to deal with the climate crisis would have a long-term impact on the economy. He called for better planning and cited the Green New Deal as a way to create alternative jobs and reduce reliance on oil and gas.
BBC Two's coverage also heard another panellist say the government was wrong to rule out more drilling in the North Sea. The panellist argued that cutting the North Sea oil and gas industry quickly would raise costs for the most vulnerable. The programme heard that gas is still moving through the pipes because it cannot be replaced as quickly as wanted.
The programme referred to John Healey's budget speech, in which the Chancellor said the cost of fuel had become a much bigger factor. It also cited trade union figures Gary Smith of the GMB and Sharon Graham of Unite. The programme heard that figures including Gary Smith and Sharon Graham were hesitant about the pace of creating good, stable green jobs. No government decision on Rosebank was announced in the coverage.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A panellist expressed personal support for granting Rosebank a licence and criticised the government for ruling out further North Sea drilling. | |
| The Chancellor, John Healey, said in his budget speech that fuel costs had become a much larger factor. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC Two used a Politics Live panel to frame the issue around energy costs, domestic sovereignty and the pace of the green transition. The discussion gave a platform to a panellist who backed Rosebank and further drilling, while also airing Taj's climate and planning objections. It focused on the political balancing act rather than any new government announcement.
- “The government is wrong to say that we'll rule out more drilling in the North Sea.”
- “Do you want that gas to come from our sovereign territory, or do you want to be buying it from a third state?”
- “I think the government's policy risks becoming self-defeating.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.