Conservatives promise to completely extract oil and gas resources from the North Sea, as declared by Kemi Badenoch.

The Conservative Party has announced plans to make the "maximising extraction" of oil and gas a key goal if they secure power, as Kemi Badenoch prepares to set out her vision for the North Sea industry.

In a speech to be delivered in Aberdeen, Badenoch will propose overhauling the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), replacing its current mandate with a simple order to extract the maximum possible amount of fossil fuels. This move comes as the Tories plan to scrap all mandates beyond maximising extraction in the North Sea.

Badenoch argues that Britain has already decarbonised more than every other major economy since 1990, yet faces some of the highest energy prices in the developed world. She believes that Britain is leaving "vital resources untapped" while neighbours such as Norway extract them from the same seabed.

The Government has published new guidance on environmental impacts of oil and gas, allowing offshore developers to apply for consent to extract fossil fuels in already-licensed fields. However, this move has faced criticism, with the Supreme Court ruling that emissions from burning fossil fuels should be considered when granting planning permission for new drilling sites.

A challenge over approval for the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects was upheld at the Court of Session in Edinburgh due to insufficient consideration of downstream emissions. Greenpeace, Uplift, and several artists, including Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway of Radiohead, Enter Shikari, Imogen Heap, and Olly Alexander of Years & Years, signed an open letter against the expansion of operations at Rosebank, citing concerns about accelerating the climate crisis and burdening future generations.

It is unclear what "this unilateral act of economic disarmament" and "Labour's impossible ideology of net zero by 2050" refer to, as no prior context was provided. The name of the person the Tories will propose in the future as chairman of the North Sea Transition Authority remains unknown.

Badenoch will also drop the word "transition" from the NSTA's name, signalling a shift in focus towards extraction rather than transitioning away from fossil fuels. The move is expected to be met with controversy, as concerns over the environmental impact of increased oil and gas extraction continue to grow.