Today (Sunday), Kemi Badenoch has launched a new campaign to support the British economy, at a time of growing pressures on the cost of living, and strengthen the UK's energy security by maximising domestic oil and gas production in the North Sea called ‘Get Britain Drilling’.
The campaign, backed by a digital advertising campaign, features the Conservative Party’s 3-point plan to ‘Get Britain Drilling’:
- An end to Labour’s ban on new oil and gas licences, which has left 2.9 billion barrels in the ground and risks 200,000 jobs, forgoing £165 billion in economic value;
- An end to the Energy Profits Levy – the so-called ‘windfall tax’ – on oil and gas companies, which is blocking investment; and
- Total focus within government on backing our oil and gas industry, with measures including scrapping the ban on government support for the export of oil and gas technology, unlocking billions in exports that UK Export Finance previously supported to the tune of £5 billion annually, and replacing the North Sea Transition Authority’s and its Net Zero mandates, with the North Sea Authority with a single focus on maximising oil and gas extraction.
Kemi Badenoch is set to visit an oil rig in Aberdeen on Monday as part of this campaign and further measures will be announced this week as the Conservative Party builds on its plan to bring down both household and business energy bills.
The ‘Get Britain Drilling’ campaign builds on existing Conservative Party plans to cut energy costs by scrapping green levies and taxes that push up bills, including the Renewable Obligations Certificate and the Carbon Tax. But bringing bills down in a lasting way means using the resources we already have, starting with the North Sea.
As global instability drives up prices and Labour doubles down on its Net Zero targets, the Conservatives are setting out a clear alternative focused on cheap, reliable energy and economic strength.
Labour promised to cut household energy bills by £300, but bills have risen by £73 since they took office and they are set to increase further because of Ed Miliband’s Clean Power 2030 target. At the same time, Britain is being pushed towards greater reliance on imported energy, leaving households exposed to global price shocks.
The UK has already halved its emissions since 1990, reducing emissions by more than any other major economy. But global emissions are rising and countries like China are not following our lead. Continuing down this path of higher energy bills, job losses, and lower economic growth will make us a warning, not an example, to the rest of the world. We must put cheap, reliable energy and a stronger economy first.
The North Sea remains one of the country’s greatest strategic assets. Oil and gas exploration in the North Sea supports 200,000 skilled jobs across the UK and generates billions in tax revenue. Without action to safeguard our energy security the UK could be importing as much as 82 per cent of its gas by 2035, leaving billpayers vulnerable to shifts in oil price.
Major projects such as Rosebank and Jackdaw, both at advanced stages and capable of delivering energy within months, remain stalled as Labour refuse to act. Other projects, including Cambo, are effectively frozen, leaving the UK increasingly unattractive to investment.
At a time of global instability, including conflict in the Middle East, strengthening domestic energy production is central to delivering a stronger economy and a more secure country. This is all the more important with reports of possible further supply and price shocks, including threats to curtail transAtlantic LNG shipments.
The Conservative Party will prioritise maximising North Sea production, protecting jobs, reducing reliance on imports, and ensuring Britain uses its own resources to meet its energy needs.
Kemi Badenoch MP, leader of the Conservative Party, said: “Labour's ban on new oil and gas drilling licences was stupid when they put it in their manifesto, in the middle of an energy crisis it's completely crazy.
“Drilling our own oil and gas is about energy security, it's about financial security, it's about national security. It's more jobs, good for business and provides tax revenues that could be used to bring down bills.
“But Keir Starmer let the cat out of the bag at PMQs. The real reason Labour are refusing new licences is that Ed Miliband is now running the government.
“We need to get Britain drilling. A strong economy relies on cheap, abundant energy. Only the Conservatives are serious about creating a stronger economy and a stronger country.”
Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said: “I look forward to joining Kemi in Aberdeen on Monday, and welcome her unstinting support for North Sea oil and gas.
“The industry is crucial to Scotland’s economy and energy security – and the Conservatives are the only party at Westminster and Holyrood to recognise this and call for both maximum extraction and an end to the windfall tax.
“Labour and the SNP’s reckless opposition to new drilling is decimating jobs and communities across the North-East. It’s economic lunacy, especially at a time of such global uncertainty.”
Notes to Editors:
Labour are shutting down the North Sea, despite it providing tens of thousands of jobs and billions in tax:
· Labour will not issue new North Sea oil and gas licences in an attempt to show ‘climate leadership’. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s North Sea Future Plan said: ‘Our commitment to not issue new licences to explore new fields responds to that obligation, demonstrating global climate leadership consistent with the science on limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5oC’ (DESNZ, North Sea Future Plan, 26 November 2025, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926dede345e31ab14ecf507/north-sea-future-plan-government-response.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
o Jackdaw and Rosebank fields have been delayed – they would have provided enough fuel to heat 1.6 million homes. Rosebank is the largest known undeveloped oil and gas field in UK waters and is estimated to contain between 300 million and 500 million barrels of oil. Jackdaw was expected to produce 6.5 per cent of the UK’s gas production and provide enough fuel to heat 1.6 million homes (The Sun, 19 March 2026, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/38574389/ed-miliband-iran-conflict-north-sea-sun-says/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
o Analysis by Offshore Energy UK (OEUK) and Westwood Global Energy Group found that £165 billion in economic value can still be produced from North Sea oil and gas. The analysis found the UK could meet half of its oil and gas needs from the North Sea with potentially 7.5 billion barrels of oil and gas able to be produced from UK waters – 3.2 billion more than current estimates. This could add £165 billion in economic value (OEUK, Press Release, 23 June 2025, https://oeuk.org.uk/policy-versus-geology-new-report-reveals-165bn-choice-facing-north-sea-future/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
· Labour scrapped the investment allowance and banned new oil and gas, calling time on the industry and its tax receipts. Labour banned new oil and gas licences and, at Autumn Budget 2024, scrapped the investment allowance, reducing investment and receipts by billions. Stifel, an investment bank, has predicted that tapering down the EPL by 2027 would raise an additional £1-2 billion per year in tax revenue, rising to a total of £25 billion cumulatively across 2030-35 (Stifel, Written Evidence, January 2026, https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/161078/html/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
Both gas and electricity bills are increasing under Labour:
- The energy price cap has increased by £73 since Labour came to power, despite their promise to cut bills by £300. The energy price cap for July to September 2024 was £1,568 compared to £1,641for April to June 2026, a £73 increase (Ofgem, Energy Price Cap, accessed 7 August 2025, https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
Energy executives, leaders in renewables and the GB Energy Chair has called for more drilling:
· Juergen Maier, Chair of Great British Energy, said that more North Sea oil production would slow job losses and is less polluting than importing from abroad. MAIER: ‘Before I add my view to this, let me present the arguments in favour of supporting more North Sea oil production, which are; It slows job losses in oil & gas industries allowing us to help transition those much needed skilled jobs to roles in the growing renewable energy sector; It supports supply chains to better manage their transition to new supply chains; oil & gas is used in other important applications beyond energy generation; e.g. plastics & chemical production and to have a local production capability & supply is sensible industrial sovereignty; The carbon intensity of the oil & gas produced locally can be lower compared to imported oil & gas, so it makes sense in this transition phase; It supports tax revenues’ (Juergen Maier, LinkedIn, 19 March 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7440077235384020992/?originTrackingId=37zIvs6D5ixNv4RMo13Yvw%3D%3D&skipRedirect=true. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
· Gary Smith, General Secretary of the GMB, said ‘switching off investment in the North Sea is absolute madness’. SMITH: ‘Just switching off investment in the North Sea is absolute madness. It's bad for national security, it's bad for jobs and the truth is it's catastrophic for the environment because we are importing oil and gas, which is far more carbon intensive than producing it ourselves’ (GB News, 16 February 2026, https://www.gbnews.com/money/labour-north-sea-windfall-tax-backlash-grows. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link)
· Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite, said ‘the government’s position on oil and gas is putting jobs and national security at risk’. GRAHAM: ‘The government’s position on oil and gas is putting jobs and national security at risk. Blocking oil and gas production in the North Sea, especially now is simply an act of monumental political self-harm. Domestic gas from Jackdaw and oil from Rosebank are essential for jobs and for energy security. We cannot let go of one rope before we have hold of another. With energy and fuel bills set to rocket once again we need to stop offshoring our carbon responsibilities and fund a concrete plan for commensurate jobs’ (Unite, Press Release, 13 March 2026, https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2026/march/unite-government-must-back-north-sea-oil-and-gas-including-rosebank-and-jackdaw. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
· Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, called for development of North Sea oil and gas fields as ‘it is cleaner’. JACKSON: ‘British gas producers won’t be selling it any cheaper than the global market. But it is cleaner and it reduces the backlash against climate policy. I’ve got no problem with it. I don’t know how much we create ourselves, I don’t know how much [we] have got left and I don’t know the economics of it. But if we’re burning gas, then [if it’s] ours then it’s cleaner’ (The Daily Telegraph, 6 September 2025, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/09/06/octopus-boss-lets-restart-drilling-in-the-north-sea/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
· Polling by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) found that three quarters of the public think the UK should ‘produce as much of its own oil and gas as possible rather than rely on imports’. The polling said: ’76 per cent find it convincing that “because global events can disrupt energy supplies, the UK should continue producing oil and gas at home rather than relying more on imports. 74 per cent say the UK should “produce as much of its own oil and gas as possible rather than rely on imports”’ (OEUK, Press Release, 23 March 2026, https://oeuk.org.uk/new-polling-shows-public-backs-homegrown-energy-a-balanced-mix-and-clear-long-term-rules-for-the-north-sea/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">link).
· Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, called for more North Sea oil and gas development. O’SHEA: ‘I do think that we should look at producing the resources that we have got ourselves. It makes sense. If you’ve got resources, you should. It’s not a silver bullet; nothing in and of itself will fix this. But these activities will bring prices down. It would definitely make a difference’ (Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, 22 March 2026, archived).