The Daily Mail columnist Stephen Daisley argues that reports Andy Burnham is about to approve production at the Jackdaw gas field are welcome but only a "half measure," since the government is reportedly not extending the same green light to the larger Rosebank field. He contends that leaving North Sea oil and gas undeveloped during an energy crisis is untenable, given volatile global supply, cost-of-living pressures and job losses in the sector, and accuses "Net Zero fundamentalists" of prioritising ideology over economic wellbeing.

Jackdaw was originally approved under the previous Conservative government but stalled after legal challenges from environmental campaigners; courts later ruled that approvals for both Jackdaw and Rosebank (green-lit in 2023) had been granted unlawfully due to inadequate consideration of climate impact. Rosebank, off Shetland, is estimated to hold 300–500 million barrels of crude. Daisley criticises the Prime Minister for indecision and highlights the toll on Aberdeen's oil and gas workers and wider economy, with redundancies, falling living standards and outward migration from the region.