Opposition Day Motion: Oil and Gas

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 24 March 2026 on an opposition motion tabled by the Conservative Party calling on the government to remove the Energy Profits Levy (a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers), end its ban on new oil and gas licences, and approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields. The motion was defeated by 297 votes to 108. The government moved an amendment in the name of the Prime Minister, backing its own approach of managing existing fields while accelerating the transition to clean energy.

Why it matters: The vote confirms the government's continued refusal to grant new North Sea exploration licences or approve specific fields such as Rosebank and Jackdaw, and its maintenance of the Energy Profits Levy at its current rate. In practical terms, this means North Sea oil and gas producers face an ongoing windfall tax that critics say discourages investment, while no new exploration licences will be issued. The motion framed the stakes in terms of energy security, tax revenue, and employment: proponents argued the North Sea supports 200,000 jobs and that without action the UK risks importing 82 percent of its gas by 2035. The vote takes place against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has pushed energy prices sharply higher, with media coverage noting potential further rises in household energy bills.

The politics: The vote divided along almost entirely predictable party lines. All 100 voting Conservatives supported the motion, joined by all five Democratic Unionist Party MPs, one Ulster Unionist, one Traditional Unionist Voice member, and three independents. Labour, the Labour and Co-operative Party, the Greens, Plaid Cymru, and the majority of independents voted against. The Liberal Democrats, whose spokesperson spoke in the debate, did not appear among the voting ayes or noes in significant numbers, reflecting their own distinct position on fossil fuels. The SNP's leader in the Commons, Stephen Flynn, questioned the Conservatives during the debate over their specific tax proposals but ultimately his party did not support the motion. The result sits within a broader pattern of Parliament recently voting to extend greenhouse gas emissions trading schemes, underlining the current government's legislative direction of travel on climate and energy policy.