MPs fear one key issue could end new PM's honeymoon period

For all the talk of immigration and prisoner releases ending Andy Burnham's honeymoon, there's another row looming for the new prime minister.

Climate conscious Labour MPs are concerned there is a lack of urgency from the government as the UK battles extreme heatwaves, drought and wildfires.

While being reluctant to outwardly criticise their new boss, three backbenchers told Sky News this could spill into a "revolt" if he presses ahead with more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

"Amidst the longest dry and hot summer I can ever remember it seems wrong to give licences for more fossil fuel extraction," said one soft left MP.

"My email inbox is full of people worried about this. We are beginning to see our voters come back from the Greens since we have had Andy as PM. Let's be careful, very careful here for so many reasons."

Labour's manifesto promised a ban on new oil and gas licences as part of the transition to clean energy. Critics of further drilling argue it would increase the profits of energy giants without bringing down bills.

However, the pledge has come under pressure from the political right, industry and some Labour unions, who have raised concerns about jobs and energy security.

Burnham has said he wants to take a more pragmatic approach, and there has been some speculation that this could mean giving final consent to the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, which have been held up by legal challenges.

These were granted licences under the Conservatives, so some MPs argue it isn't a breach of the manifesto, which vowed to honour existing ones.

But Mike Reader, part of Labour's Environment Campaign Group, said while that may technically be correct, it is "electorally very difficult [to argue]" as a transition away from oil and gas "is understood to be the manifesto commitment".

Another Labour MP said approving Rosebank "would be at the absolute limit of what was acceptable" to them, adding that "there will be some absolutionists - and it will give Greens in the cities some ammunition".

A third said that many inside the party "still do not grasp how much Gaza, foreign policy and climate shape perceptions of us".

"They treat them as peripheral when they are in fact the bedrock on which a sizeable and critical part of our potential support rests. You throw that away at your peril."

Trouble lies ahead

Some MPs played down the risk of a revolt as the issue is not expected to be put to a vote.

The decision lies with the new Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who told Sky News earlier this week that there is "an environmental set of criteria that would have to be met" for approval to be granted, and the government is "of course concerned" about climate change.

However in a sign that further tensions may arise, ministers are also coming under pressure to better prepare the UK for future hotter summers.

Andrew Pakes, the Labour MP for Peterborough, said he'd "like to see more urgency" after the National Farmers' Union warned of the potential for food shortages due to drought, calling for planning measures to build water reservoirs quicker.

Number 10 has resisted pressure to hold an emergency COBRA meeting, insisting supply chains are resilient.

But Fleur Anderson pointed to an inquiry by the environment all-party parliamentary group she chairs, which found the UK is "fundamentally unprepared" for a hotter future, saying we need a better plan for food resilience.

And Chris Hinchliff warned supply chains faced further disruption due to the predicted Super El Nino event, describing the climate crisis as the biggest threat to Britain since the Second World War. It echoes the language of Zack Polasnki, who accused Burnham of a "dereliction of duty" over heatwaves this week.

Steve Akehurst, director of the Persuasion UK polling firm, told Sky News that argument could pose trouble for Labour if it cuts through.

He said climate has jumped up on the agenda in 2026 for voters "more than any other issue" and is "disproportionately important" to Labour-Green switchers, who are largely behind the so-called "Burnham bounce".

"If there is a sense overtime of an accumulation of things seen or portrayed as anti-net zero, then there's a risk that base falls away."

A government spokesperson said: "The Climate and Nature Security Taskforce will ensure that Britain is better prepared for the threats that the climate crisis creates, including from El Nino."

(c) Sky News 2026: MPs fear one key issue could end new PM's honeymoon period