Andy Burnham yet to have 'direct conversations' with oil and gas sector

Five Scottish Labour MPs joined the cross-party group after the meeting | Andrew J Quinn

The North Sea oil and gas sector is yet to have a “direct conversation” with Andy Burnham.

David Whitehouse, chief executive of trade body Offshore Energies UK, said the prime minister-in-waiting’s views on reindustrialisation “aligns” with the sector.

He was speaking at a meeting in central London of a cross-industry group led by North Sea energy producers who are pushing for the new PM to approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields.

The meeting was attended by industry executives, trade unionists, and trade bodies from chemicals to engineering to the offshore energy sector.

Despite no one at the meeting saying they had spoken with Mr Burnham or his team, they were optimistic about him taking over.Mr Whitehouse said: “I guess from from certainly from our industry sector, we have not had a direct conversation with Andy Burnham.

“But there's a huge network of of MPs and others who, all industries interface with and we have done that.

“Andy Burnham talks about the need for reindustrialisation. What we are what we are talking about aligns very much with with the language that we hear from Andy Burnham.”

Jamie Baker, from downstream oil and gas trade body Fuel Industry UK, had also not spoken to Mr Burnham but was positive about him coming into office.

He said: “[We have a] very similar position in terms of having directly engaged.

“The other thing which I would draw out is the importance that Burnham associates with the rest of the country, not being London centric.

“All of the businesses around here will have some operations in London. We're here in London today, but actually, the refineries are not based in London. They are based all over the country, including in the north, and we can look further afield as well into East Anglia and Scotland as well.

“I think for what he's looking to deliver, good jobs around the country, a lot of people in this room have a lot to offer.”

Stephen Elliot from the Chemical Industries Association said: “Similar answer, really. We’ve not connected with Andy Burnham or his team.

“But it’s those words: reindustrialisation, place, and you'd like to think that he would be keen to be seen to be making sure that place isn't just Manchester.

“I think apprentices as well. Yeah, he's made quite a statement or two around apprenticeships. So those are, I think, for us, the key three things that we're thinking about.”

Some Scottish MPs told the Scotsman last week that they were concerned Mr Burnham would appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor.

This is because they believe he would block the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects, which he has spoken out against before.

Neil McCulloch, chief executive of Adura which owns Jackdaw, said: “We're ready to engage with any prime minister, any opposition, any faction, any secretary of state, any chancellor, to advocate strongly for the brilliant role we do on behalf of the UK, and to get away from this being something that we should feel guilty about or make excuses for.

“So, whoever is prime minister and whoever is Chancellor, whoever is Secretary of State for Net Zero, we've got a good joined-up position across all energies.”