BP has put its North Sea oil and gas business up for sale, ending six decades of production in UK waters and placing 1,100 jobs in question. Critics have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reverse Labour’s ban on new drilling licences, arguing that the move highlights pressure on the industry and risks to energy-sector employment.

The company said its North Sea division would be better placed within another business. Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce blamed policy uncertainty, punitive taxation and conflicting government signals, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for new oil and gas licences to be allowed.