Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged

British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better Andy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said. The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration. Asked about it, Haviland said: “At the moment, instead of using those fields we are importing liquid gas, which is more expensive and less environmentally friendly. So yes, we believe we should use our own assets.” She was speaking as the business group, which represents 50,000 businesses employing 7.5 million people, prepares for a high-profile conference in London on Thursday. Politicians from five political parties, including the Labour chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the Green leader, Zack Polanski, will address the gathering. Haviland, a former senior civil servant, said British businesses backed the transition to clean energy and were keen to exploit the opportunities it presented. But she said the switch to o