Labour ‘could lose up to 50 seats’ to Greens if new drilling in North Sea approved

Greens say analysis shows government failure to take bold climate action could lead to big gains for party at election Labour could lose dozens of seats to the Green party if the government allows new drilling in the North Sea, according to internal research shared with the Guardian. Green party analysis suggests up to 50 Labour MPs, including Andy Burnham’s key ally Louise Haigh, could lose their seats at the next election if the government fails to make urgent climate action a priority or allows new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. The research found that voters in these key Labour v Green seats want bold action to tackle the climate crisis, which has contributed to record heatwaves, devastating wildfires and crippling droughts this summer in the UK – and say Labour MPs will pay the price if the demands are not met. Rachel Millward, a deputy leader of the Green party, said: “If Labour won’t be swayed by the science or the moral imperative to leave all fossil fuels in the ground, perhaps they will listen to the polling. “The data is clear: voters want more from our government on climate change, and they certainly don’t want our new prime minister to back away