Andy Burnham’s government has given fossil fuel giants Shell and Equinor permission to drill the undeveloped Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.

Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who publicly opposed new drilling before taking on the role, is set to make the announcement from Aberdeen on Wednesday morning alongside chancellor John Healey.

In 2022 Fahnbulleh wrote on X: “To have a shot at staying within 1.5C global warming, we can’t have any new oil or gas fields.

“Banks know this, but some are pumping billions into new projects. It’s irresponsible and shortsighted to be funding new fossil fuels when we need to be getting to net zero fast.”

Before becoming prime minister, Burnham endorsed calls for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. “It’s not just a plan, it’s a lifeline,” he said last year. “It’s a call to end coal, oil, and gas, hold polluters accountable.”

Fahnbulleh told BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday that drilling Jackdaw “won’t lower energy bills this winter”. Numerous energy experts have said extracting the gas will not lower bills at all. “The UK is not an isolated energy island where new supply has the effect of decreasing prices,” professor Gavin Bridge, fellow of the Durham Energy Institute, told the Independent in April.

Advocacy group Greenpeace argues that, based on calculations for climate harm used by the government, burning the gas from Jackdaw will cause £16.1bn in “global damage” and cause more than 8,000 heat-related deaths.

Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said: “Labour’s decision to approve Jackdaw is climate vandalism. Andy Burnham’s government had the opportunity to reject the greed of oil and gas companies… Instead, this Labour prime minister has caved in to the fossil fuel lobby and continued to devastate our climate. It is a devastating betrayal of our children’s future.”

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said: “Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change. This is a victory for Shell over the people.”

US president Donald Trump said in July that Burnham had told him he would “open up North Sea oil”.

The government is yet to issue a decision about Rosebank, an oil field also in the North Sea owned by Shell, Equinor and a firm called Ithaca Energy, which is part-owned by Israeli holding company Delek Group.

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