Angry Labour MPs urge leadership not to overrule energy secretary on Rosebank
Exclusive: Backbenchers voice alarm over ‘intolerable position’ faced by Miatta Fahnbulleh over oilfield decision Furious Labour MPs have been lobbying the prime minister and chancellor not to overrule the energy secretary should she decide to block the Rosebank oilfield. MPs say they are alarmed at the cabinet splits that have emerged over the issue after sources told the Guardian that Miatta…
Labour MPs are expressing their alarm over the potential for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey to intervene in Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh's decision regarding the Rosebank oilfield. Backbenchers are concerned that they will be overruled on the issue, calling the position placed on Fahnbulleh "intolerable."
The MPs worry that approving Rosebank would weaken their green credentials and clash with their manifesto promises. Some MPs and Labour politicians have approached Fahnbulleh's parliamentary aides, insisting that she should have the final say on the matter. The memo from the aides emphasizes that the energy secretary is the sole decision-maker, and no other cabinet member or minister has any influence on the decision.
The government has promised to take a "pragmatic" approach to North Sea oil drilling, citing the Jackdaw gasfield as an example. However, the MPs argue that approving Rosebank would be economically short-sighted and politically explosive, disregarding the discomfort expressed by backbenchers.
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