LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to approve a gas extraction project off the coast of Scotland was a disappointment to environmental groups, which have long argued that going ahead with more drilling will accelerate climate change.
The decision on whether to approve new oil and gas projects in the North Sea has been a key test of Burnham’s government, which insists it is committed to transitioning to renewable energy.
The government gave the green light on Wednesday for the Jackdaw gas field east of Aberdeen. It is still weighing a decision for a second North Sea project, Rosebank, said to be the U.K.'s largest untapped oil resource.
Environmental groups have urged Burnham to refuse permission for the projects, saying they would accelerate climate change at a time when the U.K., like the rest of Europe, faces record extreme heat linked to human actions including burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
But opposition politicians, the oil and gas industry and U.S. President Donald Trump have piled pressure on Burnham to give the green light, arguing it would protect jobs, cut household bills and boost Britain’s energy security.
British officials have been expected to make a decision since August, when public consultations on the two projects closed.
Rosebank is an oil field that also will produce gas. Located 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Scotland's Shetland Islands, it is estimated to be the largest undeveloped oil and gas field in the U.K., reportedly with capacity to produce 300 million to 500 million barrels of oil within about 25 years.
Jackdaw is a gas field 150 miles east of Aberdeen on Scotland's northeast coast. Production there was expected to last under a decade. The Shell Group, one of the project's co-developers, predicts the field can produce around 6.5% of the U.K.’s gas production at its peak.
The former Conservative government previously approved production at both sites, which were scheduled to start operations later this year.
But a court in Edinburgh ruled last year that the approvals were unlawful, after considering a legal challenge from Greenpeace and another nonprofit.
“The public interest in authorities acting lawfully and the private interest of members of the public in climate change outweigh the private interest of the developers,” Judge Andrew Stewart ruled at the time.
Critics have argued that the oil and gas reserves in Britain's North Sea holdings are small and would make little difference to energy bills because prices are decided by international markets. They contend that new developments would increase carbon emissions while failing to contribute to Britain's energy security.
Analysts at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a London-based nonprofit, estimated that more than 90% of the oil and gas likely to be produced from the North Sea has already been extracted.
“We’ve just had record-breaking heat waves this summer, wildfires, half of the country’s still in drought. We’re facing potential crop failures and food shortages this winter from a super El Niño,” said Victoria Smith, a Fossil Free London activist.
“Drilling for new oil and gas now ... would just be a wild decision, completely reckless by this government," she said.
Almost 600 climate and health experts wrote a joint letter to the government last month arguing that approving the projects would breach the U.K.'s national and international climate commitments.
Separately, critics also have raised concerns about Rosebank's links to Israeli company Delek Group, which activists say profited from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Green Party leader Zach Polanski is among critics who have asked how the U.K. can ensure revenue from any oil and gas production did not finance the settlements.
Supporters of further drilling say it will not make a significant difference to emissions and is vital for protecting jobs. Some also argue that domestic production will result in less carbon emissions than importing oil and gas.
The governing Labour Party is split on the issue. Some warned that going ahead will renege on the party's pledge in its 2024 manifesto not to issue new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.
Others disagree. “If we do not proceed with Jackdaw and Rosebank, investment will leave the UK, jobs will disappear and expertise will be lost,” lawmaker Graeme Downie said.
The issue became more politicized after Trump waded in. The U.S. president, who criticized former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's energy policies, claimed in August that people in Aberdeen were “dancing in the streets” following reports that Burnham would approve new drilling.
In his first phone call with Trump, Burnham reportedly said the U.K. “can’t ignore” resources in the North Sea, adding he would take “a pragmatic approach” to further drilling.
Britain's government has declined to directly comment, only saying the North Sea “remains a vital national asset.”
“Any decision will take into account all relevant evidence, including environmental assessments and public representations received as part of the regulatory process,” the energy security department said.
Associated Press journalist Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this report.
People attend a climate protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
People attend a climate protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
People attend a climate protest outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Doctors have amputated both of Australian federal lawmaker Helen Haines ' legs as she remains in critical condition after being repeatedly hit by a car in an apparent act of political violence, her husband said Wednesday.
The 65-year-old independent politician is receiving treatment in a Melbourne hospital where she was flown by helicopter.
Phil Haines, her husband, gave the family’s first public comments on her condition since she was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV in her hometown of Wangaratta on Monday, speaking hours after a man accused of running her over made an initial appearance in court.
Haines' husband said her left leg was amputated on Monday and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday after doctors abandoned hope of saving it.
“The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” the husband told reporters in Melbourne.
“We are grateful and thankful that at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape,” he said.
He added that their 40th wedding anniversary will be in November.
Earlier Wednesday, Brendan Nugent, a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee, appeared in the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.
Nugent didn’t apply for bail or enter a plea. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance in February. Police have yet to determine a motive.
Nugent's lawyer Chirag Patel told Magistrate Allison Vaughan that his client was suffering from potential mental health issues but had never been diagnosed with any mental health problem.
Patel said Nugent suffered from a neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and a concussion. The lawyer did not explain how Nugent had been concussed.
The rare condition damages the spinal cord’s protective myelin sheath and disrupts nerve signals between the brain and body. This leads to rapid muscle weakness, sensory loss, pain, and bladder and bowel dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic medical center.
Witnesses say the driver rammed his victim, pinning her against her own car before reversing and ramming her a second time.
The well-regarded lawmaker's plight has shocked Australians, as political violence is uncommon in the country and politicians are highly accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security details and go about their work and personal lives on their own.
Senior opposition lawmaker James Paterson on Wednesday called for a review of lawmakers’ personal security in response to the alleged crime.
“The reality is that Australian parliamentarians by global standards are uniquely accessible to the public and that’s a good thing,” Paterson told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“But we … can’t have a situation where shocking attacks like this take place because that will fundamentally change our democracy forever if it becomes a serious risk to your life to be a member of parliament,” Paterson added.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged lawmakers to continue to engage openly with the public despite worsening animosity within the community.
“We want to make sure that people can feel as much comfort as possible that everything’s being done to maximize security,” Albanese told News24.
“I think parliamentarians across the board are determined to make sure that we can continue to engage as we need to in this great democracy of ours,” Albanese added. “That interaction is really important in our democracy.”
Lawmakers began online meetings with Australia’s security agencies on Wednesday to discuss their safety. Such briefings are a regular occurrence.
Albanese described the briefings as an “opportunity for people who feel anxious to be able to ask questions” of security agencies.
Australian Federal Police provide personal security only to those lawmakers who are assessed as higher risk, usually because they have attracted the attention of dangerous people. Prime ministers always have personal protection and immigration ministers often do because they anger people with visa decisions.
Paterson said providing police protection to all 226 federal lawmakers would not be practical. But he suggested increased security at electorate offices, such as Haines’ office where she was hit. Paterson said lawmakers were “most identifiable” at their offices. Coming and going could be a “risky moment.”
Federal Police Commissioner Kissy Barrett told reporters providing police protection to all parliamentarians would take an “incredible amount of resourcing.”
Police received 1,067 reports of threatening, harassing, nuisance and offensive communications against high officeholders including federal lawmakers and their office staff in the last fiscal year — a 12% increase on the previous year. Barrett said almost one suspect a week was charged over such threats.
Elsewhere in the world, authorities have warned of growing threats to lawmakers. The United States has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade.
That includes the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, as well as another on the president at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April; and the assassinations in 2025 of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
In Britain, killings of politicians have also led to tighter security. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, while Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the militant Islamic State group.
In July, the former British politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was found beaten to death with a hammer at her home. A man has been charged with murder and terrorism-related offenses.
Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
Brendan Nugent departs from the Wangaratta Magistrates Court in Wangaratta, Australia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
Australian independent member of parliament Helen Haines speaks at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)
Phil Haines, husband of independent member of parliament Helen Haines, speaks to the media at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AAPImage via AP)
