Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley has been asked to condemn the government's decision to approve production at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.

Shrewsbury Green Party has written to Ms Buckley urging her to speak out against the decision. Located 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, Jackdaw is seen, alongside the proposed Rosebank oil field, as a key test of the government's commitment to tackling the climate crisis.

Councillor Chris Lemon from the Shrewsbury Green Party says:

‘We are shocked and appalled that this Labour government has approved the Jackdaw gas field. It won't reduce energy bills, will only create 27 jobs, and will have little impact on the UK's energy security. But most importantly, it flies in the face of scientific advice that new oil and gas fields are incompatible with safe climate limits.

‘We already have more global oil and gas reserves than we can safely burn. Yet in their first year in power, Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists more than 500 times. It seems this government is putting corporate profits ahead of ordinary people.’

The letter outlines the case against Jackdaw and points to Julia Buckley's membership of Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee, which has heard evidence from leading experts about the severity of the climate crisis. It urges her to speak out against the decision, particularly with a decision on the much larger Rosebank oil field still pending.

Cllr Chris Lemon adds:

‘This summer we saw the impacts of the climate crisis here in Shropshire. Farmers suffered huge losses; hospitals, including Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, faced record A&E pressures; schools closed and rivers dried up. The government cannot ignore the advice of scientists. We need robust climate action now. There is no excuse for opening new North Sea oil and gas fields. I hope our MP will speak out against this decision.’