Facts
On 31 July 2023 the Government announced that it was going to issue hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licences.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that this was “vital” to “deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses.”
Whatever the merits of North Sea oil and gas, it can not be called “clean energy”.
On 3 February 2022, Conservative Minister Greg Hands, posted a series of infographic “mythbusters” on Twitter. One of the myths was that “extracting more North Sea gas lowers prices”. The infographic explained that this was untrue because “UK production isn’t large enough to materially impact the global price of gas.”
Verdict
Sunak’s statement contained two misleading claims.
As Greg Hands, a member of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s own party, explained over a year ago, extracting more North Sea gas will not alter the price, making it “more affordable”.
Whatever the merits of North Sea oil and gas, it can not be called “clean energy”.
We emailed Rishi Sunak’s office and Downing Street offering them the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.