The Government has hit back at the Commons Speaker after he launched an angry tirade against ministers in the Chamber on Wednesday.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, a furious Sir Lindsay Hoyle criticised the Government for announcing plans to greenlight drilling in the North Sea to the media before presenting a statement to Parliament.
Sir Lindsay berated Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh for leaving her deputy Michael Shanks to answer before MPs having previously appeared live on TV in Aberdeen revealing the plans.
But Downing Street on Thursday railed back at Sir Lindsay, insisting that announcing commercially sensitive plans in this way has been ‘long-standing practice’ for successive governments.
A No 10 spokesperson said: ‘It is not unusual for commercially sensitive announcements to remain public early in the morning before markets are open, and this ensures announcements that could potentially have a market impact are announced in a fair and orderly way, rather than igniting while markets are trading.
‘I would also point out that Parliament were informed at the same time by a written statement ahead of the oral statement, which followed PMQs. Nothing was briefed in advance of this.
The spokesperson added ministers had adopted a ‘long-standing practice that has taken place over successive governments’ in announcing the plans, and that ‘doesn’t detract from the importance that we place on our duties to Parliament, which we will continue to uphold and take seriously.’
It follows Labour finally giving the go-ahead for drilling the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea after months of wrangling over the decision.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, a furious Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused ministers of announcing plans to greenlight drilling in the North Sea to the media before presenting a statement to Parliament
Sir Lindsay berated Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh for leaving her deputy Michael Shanks to answer before MPs having previously appeared live on TV in Aberdeen revealing the plans
Britain is currently suffering from high exposure to sustained global energy shocks brought on by Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
Tory-backed plans to drill the Jackdaw gas field is now expected to increase domestic gas production by around 6 per cent at its peak, safeguard hundreds of jobs and provide an estimated £2.9billion economic boost.
Speaking in Aberdeen, Ms Fahnbulleh said: ‘At a point when we have got conflict in the Middle East that is triggering an energy crisis, energy security is vital, and homegrown energy is key.’
But Sir Lindsay accused the Energy Secretary of rejecting parliamentary convention, whereby ministers typically inform MPs of major decisions through statements to the House before telling the media.
‘I’m sorry that Aberdeen is more important than the MPs they’ve elected,’ he said on Wednesday.
He had earlier said: ‘It is 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.’
And he questioned whether the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was ‘deliberately briefing out to the media’.
Gas from Jackdaw, around 150 miles east of Aberdeen, will start to supply homes and businesses from the end of the month after Ms Fahnbulleh approved the scheme.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the decision would ‘protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter’.
Despite this, it is thought Government is ‘minded to reject’ drilling the Rosebank oil field, one of the largest oil fields in the North Sea.
A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: ‘This is speculation. As the Energy Secretary has said, each project will be assessed on its own merits.’
A spokeswoman from the Speaker’s Office said: ‘Mr Speaker has said all he wants to say on this matter.’
