Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been urged to visit North Sea operators and their workers as speculation grows that he could allow more drilling as part of his drive to cut energy costs.
Offshore Energies UK has requested an urgent visit to energy businesses in Scotland and supply chain companies in northeast England.
The industry body said the trip could mark a turning point in relations between government and the offshore sector, after years of uncertainty over taxes, regulation and new projects.
Reports have suggested Mr Burnham is considering allowing further North Sea development, although his team has not confirmed whether this would involve new exploration licences or tiebacks connecting fields to existing infrastructure.
The debate is focused heavily on the Rosebank and Jackdaw developments which already hold licences but require new government decisions following a court ruling on their environmental assessments.
OEUK Chief Executive Officer David Whitehouse said: “Energy policy cannot be made in Westminster alone without listening to the people and communities who have powered this country for the last 50 years.
“For too long offshore workers engineers technicians and those across the energy supply chain have been talked about rather than listened to.”
OEUK argues the choice is not between oil and gas or renewable energy. It said Britain must decide whether to produce more of the energy it still needs domestically or increase its reliance on overseas suppliers.
The organisation claims imported liquefied natural gas from the US or Qatar produces four times more carbon emissions than North Sea gas.
Its analysis suggests reforms to taxation and regulation including early introduction of the proposed Oil and Gas Price Mechanism could unlock another £50 billion of offshore investment.
Over the next decade OEUK estimates this could increase capital spending by £26 billion and generate more than £13 billion in tax receipts while supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
The changes could allow domestic production to meet at least half of UK oil and gas demand between now and 2050.
OEUK also claims faster reform could limit imported LNG to 6% of UK gas supplies by 2035 compared with 46% without policy changes.
Polling commissioned by the organisation found 42% of Labour voters favoured following Norway’s approach to new offshore licences while 35% supported maintaining the ban.
Almost 70% said Britain should prioritise domestic North Sea production, compared with 9% who believed the source of oil and gas did not matter.
Mr Whitehouse said: “The new Prime Minister must now turn listening into action. Words of support for projects such as Jackdaw and Rosebank cannot be a substitute for the policy reset our country needs.”
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