# Kemi Badenoch slams ‘ludicrous’ Andy Burnham for allowing oil drilling off the Falklands but NOT in the North Sea

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/kemi-badenoch-slams-ludicrous-andy-burnham-for-allowing-oil-drilling-off-the-falklands-but-not-in-the-north-sea/
- Published: 2026-11-11T17:57:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T18:26:20+00:00
- Original publisher: GB News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.gbnews.com/politics/kemi-badenoch-andy-burnham-oil-drilling-falklands-north-sea
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Badenoch challenged Labour over Sea Lion and the delayed Rosebank decision.
- Sea Lion is estimated to hold 900 million barrels; Rosebank 300 million recoverable.
- Labour has approved Jackdaw gas drilling while proposing to end new field exploration.

## Summary

Kemi Badenoch criticised Labour’s handling of oil and gas projects, calling it “ludicrous” that drilling had been approved at Sea Lion near the Falkland Islands while a decision on the Rosebank field in the North Sea remains pending. Andy Burnham said the Rosebank decision was quasi-legal and would be made in due course. The dispute matters because it highlights tensions over domestic energy production, climate policy and the Government’s approach to new fossil fuel projects.

At a tribunal in Hamburg, Argentina’s lawyers argued that the UK had acted illegally in approving Sea Lion, in which Navitas Petroleum holds 65 per cent and Rockhopper Exploration 35 per cent. The field is estimated to contain about 900 million barrels of oil; Rosebank, described as Britain’s largest untapped field, is estimated to hold 300 million recoverable barrels. Labour has approved gas drilling at Jackdaw, expected to begin supplying the UK this winter, while its proposed Energy Independence Bill would end exploration for new oil and gas fields in British waters; a poll cited in the article found 65 per cent of Labour’s 2024 voters supported approving Rosebank.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.