Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged

Climate activists, Greenpeace and Uplift protest against extending the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Climate activists, Greenpeace and Uplift protest against extending the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better Andy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said. The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration. Asked about it, Haviland said: “At the moment, instead of using those fields we are importing liquid gas, which is more expensive and less environmentally friendly. So yes, we believe we should use our own assets.” The UK needs more North Sea gas; imports from the US are the real enemy | Nils Pratley Read more She was speaking as the business group, which represents 19,000 firms employing 8 million people, prepares for a high-profile conference in London on Thursday. Politicians from five political parties, including the Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves and Green leader Zack Polanski, will address the gathering. Haviland, a former senior civil servant, said British businesses backed the transition to clean energy and were keen to exploit the opportunities it presented. But she said the switch to offshore wind was not creating enough jobs to soak up workers displaced as the North Sea wound down; and local suppliers were being closed instead of supplying the new industries. “It’s just not being managed in the right way. We are absolutely behind the incredible leadership we’ve seen in offshore wind, where we’re a world leader. We are not investing enough in building a local supply chain to support that. A lot of it’s still coming from overseas. And because it hasn’t happened as fast as oil and gas are declining, we have a really worrying gap, and we are seeing the supply chain leave.” She added, “There’s some very big concerns from our chambers up in Aberdeen and the north-east that it will go the way of the coalmines, and you’ll have millions of people out of work.” View image in fullscreen Shevaun Haviland: ‘Businesses don’t feel confident to invest, because business costs are so high, and it’s a vicious cycle.’ Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian The future of Jackdaw and Rosebank will be watched closely by business and environmentalists as a signal of intent from Burnham’s new team. The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who is being touted as a possible chancellor, is seen as sceptical about giving the go-ahead. With Burnham likely to become prime minister within weeks, Ha