Ministers are expected to approve the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea this month, with energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh due to recommend approval as early as next week, government sources say. Officials are also weighing whether to approve the larger Rosebank oilfield later this year, though its environmental assessment is not yet complete. Both projects have become symbolic of Labour's stance on North Sea oil and gas, drawing criticism from environmental campaigners who want them scrapped, while US president Donald Trump has pressed the prime minister to open them up.

Jackdaw, run by Shell, and Rosebank, run by Norway's Equinor, both hold licences but lost environmental approval after a court ruled the firms must account for carbon emissions from burning the extracted fuel; both have since resubmitted applications. Campaigners estimate the resulting carbon pollution could cause up to £336bn of economic damage, while industry says the fields could supply 10% of UK oil and gas output at peak. Rosebank, valued at £8.7bn and holding up to 500m barrels of oil equivalent, is the largest undeveloped field in UK waters; officials are exploring routing its proceeds into the National Wealth Fund for clean energy, though this may be legally complex given how far the approval process has advanced.