Thousands of North Sea oil jobs lost in just one year, damning new figures show

But industry body Offshore Energies UK believes the losses may be even higher because the ONS figures exclude contractors and the supply chain. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say OEUK’s Ben Ward said: “We calculate the sector has been losing up to 1,000 jobs a month on average - mostly in the energy supply chain where most jobs sit.” Campaign group Uplift, which is calling for an end to fossil fuels, has previously estimated that, between 2013 and 2023, 227,000 jobs supported by North Sea oil and gas were lost, equivalent to 450 a week.It says this is down to the North Sea being a declining basin and argues it provides a stark demonstration of the need to move to new, clean energy jobs. But others have called for support for the offshore industry, saying the oil and gas sector supported jobs and made the UK more energy secure. Under Labour, new licences for North Sea exploration have been banned. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has yet to approve the restarting of drilling at Rosebank, Britain’s largest untapped oil field, and Jackdaw, a giant gas field. Work at both has been halted pending a legal challenge on climate grounds. The final decision rests with Mr Miliband, who once labelled Rosebank “climate vandalism”. Trade union Unite has been vocal in its support for North Sea workers. It supports drilling at both Rosebank and Jackdaw and says the Government's stance is putting jobs on the line. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Bank of England issues warning to anyone with a mortgage as interest rates to rise SIX timesFuel crisis sees petrol and diesel drivers charged £2billion extra since start of Iran warRachel Reeves's HMRC tax raid drags over 300,000 more people into paying higher ratesGeneral secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Government’s position on oil and gas is costing jobs and putting national security at risk. Blocking oil and gas production in the North Sea, especially now, is simply an act of monumental political self-harm.“Domestic gas from Jackdaw and oil from Rosebank are essential for jobs and for energy security. “We cannot let go of one rope before we have hold of another. With energy and fuel bills set to rocket once again, we need to stop offshoring our carbon responsibilities and fund a concrete plan for commensurate jobs.” Labour MP Henry Tufnell said of the figures: “We cannot continue to hollow out British industry. We are putting communities at risk of poverty and undermining our national security. “We need a change in course in our energy policy to maintain the global competitiveness of British Industry and the thousands of jobs that depend on it.” Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said the news demonstrated why the Conservative policy to scrap carbon taxes was the right course. She told The Sun: “This is a scandalous underestimation of the scale of damage wreaked by Labour’s policies. We are seeing a thousand jobs a month go in the North Sea alone. “That’s why we need to axe the Carbon Tax and cut energy costs for businesses and get Britain drilling again, we are the only party with a fully costed plan to save British Industry.” Last year, Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee expressed concern that “jobs from the clean energy industry are simply not being created fast enough, or on the scale needed, to match the mounting job losses from the oil and gas sector”.The Government has said it is committed to a “fair and orderly transition” to Net Zero.Pressure has mounted on the Government to change its stance on the North Sea. Unite has launched a Keep the North Sea Working campaign.Manufacturing union Make UK has also called for drilling to start at Rosebank and Jackdaw, while Tony Blair’s think tank has repeatedly recommended a change in course.However, Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has said approving Rosebank and Jackdaw “would not change much for the UK’s energy security, nor would they change the price of oil and gas”.A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said: “We are not willing to accept the status quo of the North Sea being in decline – we have committed to a long-term future for our refinery sector, backed by record investment to grow these industries.“This will protect jobs now and create the next generation of skilled roles, including 400,000 extra jobs for our clean energy mission by 2030.”DESNZ says more North Sea oil exploration won’t lower bills because gas and oil prices are set on the international market. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter