Kemi Badenoch is bringing the battle over Britain’s energy future to the floor of the Commons on Tuesday, forcing a parliamentary vote on two stalled North Sea projects as the Conservatives reportedly accused Ed Miliband of displaying “cult-like fanaticism” that is “making Britain weaker and poorer.”

The opposition day motion targets Rosebank and Jackdaw — an oil field and a gas field respectively — both of which have sat in legal suspension since a Scottish court ruled in January 2025 that extraction could not resume without fresh environmental scrutiny. Though the original extraction licences were issued under the previous Conservative administration and carried over by Labour, neither project can now move forward without new ministerial sign-off.

But that sign-off is not coming. Mr Miliband has placed a moratorium on new North Sea oil licences at the heart of his net zero agenda, and has previously branded the prospect of developing Rosebank an act of “climate vandalism.”

‘Lunacy’ to delay

Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has called on ministers to accelerate both projects, writing in The Telegraph that further delay would be “lunacy.”

She said: “We must fast-track Rosebank and Jackdaw and lift the onerous bans and taxes on the North Sea to back Britain’s energy security.

“Kemi Badenoch knows it and Keir Starmer knows it. Unfortunately, so far only one of them has had the courage to say so.”

The chorus demanding action has grown louder as oil prices climb, reports GB News. RenewableUK — whose members build wind farms — broke with expectations by calling on the Government to take “energy out of the culture wars” and expand output. Offshore Energies UK argued that oil and gas will remain a “critical role” in the country’s energy mix for decades to come, reported the Express last week. The boss of Octopus Energy, Greg Jackson, added his voice to calls for the North Sea to be unlocked.

The pressure is not confined to industry. Labour’s own union allies have sounded the alarm, with GB News reporting warnings that the livelihoods of more than 200,000 workers are tied directly or indirectly to the sector’s fortunes.

Inside Cabinet, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is said to be quietly pushing colleagues towards greater North Sea production — a position that puts her on a collision course with Mr Miliband, who risks triggering a backbench revolt and alienating climate activists if he bends to that pressure.

Starmer steps back

At Monday’s Commons session, Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone pressed Sir Keir Starmer to bypass his Energy Secretary and personally approve new licences. The Prime Minister batted the question back, saying the call belonged to Mr Miliband.

He acknowledged, however, that hydrocarbons remained part of the picture.

“Oil and gas will be part of the mix,” Sir Keir said, adding that the Government supports resources “already being brought at huge quantities.”

“That doesn’t get us off the international market, unfortunately. The only thing that gets us truly off the international market is renewables, but it’s got to be a mix,” he said.

Mr Miliband, meanwhile, has held his ground publicly — telling the BBC last week that issuing fresh licences would not “take a penny off people’s bills.”

A Department for Net Zero spokesman told The Telegraph: “Our priority is to deliver a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good long-term jobs.”