Speaker Rebukes Energy Secretary Over Jackdaw Gas Field Announcement
Energy minister Michael Shanks made the Commons statement while Miatta Fahnbulleh was in Aberdeen, and Greenpeace UK condemned the approval
By AXY Politics Desk ·
Key points
- Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh’s absence from the Jackdaw gas field statement was an “immense discourtesy” to the Commons.
- Hoyle said it was ‘shameful’ that the department announced the decision to the media before the House, and cited the ministerial code’s expectation that important announcements are made to the Commons first.
- Energy minister Michael Shanks made the statement, and Greenpeace UK’s Ami McCarthy said the Jackdaw approval shows fossil fuel lobbyists still hold a toxic grip on energy policy.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, told MPs on 21 October that Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh had shown an “immense discourtesy” to the House by not being there to explain the government’s decision on the Jackdaw gas field herself. Energy minister Michael Shanks made the statement in her place because Fahnbulleh was in Aberdeen. Hoyle also said it was ‘shameful’ that her department had announced the news to the media first, before MPs had been told in the chamber.
The row is about more than who stood at the despatch box. It goes to the order in which the government tells the public and Parliament about major decisions, and to how far ministers are expected to put their decisions in front of MPs before the press hears about them. For readers, the Jackdaw approval matters because it touches on jobs, energy supply and climate policy, three subjects that are argued over constantly in British politics.
What the Speaker said in the Commons
Before Shanks began, Hoyle addressed the chamber directly. He said it was “simply not good enough that it was trailed by the press last night and announced all over the media this morning by the secretary of state before it could be properly scrutinised in this house.” The secretary of state he was referring to was Fahnbulleh.
Hoyle then raised a suspicion about how the news had got out. “I’m sure there will be a leak inquiry, or is it that this department is deliberately briefing out to the media?” he said. The Speaker did not say that an inquiry had been launched, and the live coverage did not confirm that one exists. His words were a challenge to the department rather than a report of any finding.
Hoyle also made a personal point about where the minister was that day. “I’m sorry that Aberdeen is more important than the MPs they’ve elected,” he said. Aberdeen is the main centre of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry, so a ministerial visit there was not a surprising choice. The Speaker’s objection was that the Commons had been bypassed, not that the minister had travelled north.
Hoyle said that under the ministerial code, ministers are supposed to make important announcements to the Commons first. The ministerial code is the rulebook for government ministers, published on GOV.UK, that sets out the standards they must meet, including their duties to Parliament. Shanks responded by telling Hoyle that he respected what the Speaker had said, and that he would take those points back to the department. The statement on Jackdaw then went ahead.
Why the order of announcements matters
It can sound like a procedural quarrel, but the order of announcements has practical effects. When a decision is first briefed to newspapers and broadcasters, journalists, campaigners and the public learn the details before MPs have a chance to ask questions on the floor of the House. That gap matters most when a decision is controversial, expensive, or affects a particular region or workforce.
MPs are the people who can press a minister for detail, test the government’s figures and force a response on the record. A statement in the Commons is a formal occasion. Ministers answer follow-up questions from across the House, and what they say there becomes part of the official record that can be checked later. A press release does not carry the same obligation.
That is why the Speaker’s role matters here. The Speaker is responsible for protecting the rights of the House and its members, including their right to question ministers. When Hoyle criticises a department for briefing outside Parliament first, he is making a point about that process as a whole, not only about one announcement. His language was strong because he sees the sequence of events on 21 October as a breach of an expectation that governments are meant to meet.
For ordinary people, the practical point is simple. Decisions about energy supply, jobs and the environment are made by ministers, but they are meant to be explained and tested in public. If that step is skipped or reversed, the public has less time to understand what has been decided and why, and MPs have less chance to speak for the people they represent.
The Jackdaw decision and the campaign response
Jackdaw is a gas field in the North Sea. Its approval sits at the centre of a long argument about whether the UK should keep developing its own oil and gas while it moves towards lower-carbon energy. Supporters of new North Sea projects argue that domestic gas can reduce reliance on imports and protect jobs in the industry during the transition. Critics argue that new fossil fuel projects clash with climate goals and will do little to lower household energy bills in the short term, because gas from a new field is sold on global markets.
Jackdaw and other North Sea projects have been the subject of repeated delays and reviews in recent years, which is one reason the decision drew close attention. Each step in that process has been treated by both sides as a signal about the government’s wider direction on energy.
The reaction from environmental campaigners was quick. Ami McCarthy, head of politics for Greenpeace UK, said: “Approving Jackdaw shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy.” McCarthy also argued that there was nothing pragmatic about “rubber-stamping a project that won’t lower en”, a line that was cut off in the live coverage. The reference was to the government’s promise of a pragmatic approach to energy. Andy Burnham had promised pragmatism earlier in the day, and Greenpeace’s criticism directly challenges that framing.
The contrast is central to the debate. The government presents the approval as a practical step to keep gas flowing and protect the industry. Campaigners see it as evidence that the oil and gas sector still has strong influence over decisions. Both positions rest on values as well as facts, and they are likely to shape how the decision is judged in the months ahead.
Downing Street’s response and the wider day
The Jackdaw statement was not the only political story of the day. At the Downing Street lobby briefing after Prime Minister’s Questions, the government rejected suggestions that Fahnbulleh had undermined the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, with comments she made in an interview about indefinite leave to remain (ILR). ILR is the status that lets a migrant settle permanently in the UK without a time limit on their stay, and it has been a sensitive subject in recent political debate.
A Downing Street spokesperson said that Mahmood was consulting on plans announced last year. The spokesperson described the work as “a thorough piece of work to ensure we get this right and have the right arrangements in place.” The government’s line was that the process was still under way and that the two ministers were not at odds. The spokesperson was also asked about the Fahnbulleh interview, but the live coverage did not record the full answer.
For readers, the two episodes are linked by a common question: how cleanly the government is speaking with one voice. Whether MPs and the public accept the government’s account will depend on how the consultation on indefinite leave to remain proceeds, and on whether the positions of the two ministers are seen to match.
What to watch next
Several questions remain open. The first is whether the department responds formally to the Speaker’s criticism, and whether the leak question Hoyle raised is pursued. Hoyle asked whether there would be an inquiry, but did not say one had been ordered, so that is something to watch rather than a settled fact.
The second is whether the government explains more fully why the Jackdaw decision reached the press before the Commons. Shanks said he would take the Speaker’s points back to the department, which suggests the matter may come back to Parliament in some form, through a written answer, a further statement or questions from MPs.
The third is the campaign response. Greenpeace UK has made its opposition clear, and environmental groups are likely to keep pressing the government on North Sea projects. Analysts expect that could mean more protests, legal challenges or sharper attacks in Parliament. Ministers, for their part, are likely to keep arguing that domestic gas and energy security are part of a practical strategy.
The Jackdaw story is now as much about process as policy. The Speaker has put the order of announcements on the record, and that is likely to be part of how the decision is judged, alongside the decision itself.
Questions and answers
Why did the Commons Speaker criticise the energy secretary?
Lindsay Hoyle said it was an “immense discourtesy” to the Commons that Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh did not make the Jackdaw statement herself. He also said it was ‘shameful’ that her department announced the decision to the media first.
What is the Jackdaw gas field decision?
The government approved the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. Energy minister Michael Shanks made the Commons statement about it because Fahnbulleh was in Aberdeen.
Why did Greenpeace criticise the Jackdaw approval?
Ami McCarthy, head of politics for Greenpeace UK, said approving Jackdaw shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over the country’s energy policy.
What happens next after the Jackdaw statement?
Shanks said he would take the Speaker’s points back to the department. Hoyle also asked whether a leak inquiry would follow, but the coverage does not confirm that one has been launched.
Topics: Jackdaw gas field, Lindsay Hoyle, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Michael Shanks, House of Commons, North Sea gas, Greenpeace UK, ministerial code
Sources: The Guardian Politics