Red Ed faces backbench revolt over ban on North Sea oil and gas drilling - as growing number of Labour MPs demand he ditch Net Zero agenda to tackle cost of living and lower bills

By SAM MERRIMAN, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 22:19, 5 April 2026 | Updated: 22:19, 5 April 2026 A backbench revolt stirred by public pressure is turning the screw on Ed Miliband over his refusal to harness untapped energy reserves in the North Sea. A growing number of Labour MPs are calling on the Energy Secretary to soften his Net Zero agenda to tackle the cost of living and bring down bills. It came as a poll found voters want Labour to urgently lift its ban on drilling to prevent households being hammered by the cost of the Middle East crisis. Research conducted for The Mail on Sunday by Lord Ashcroft found that half of voters think Mr Miliband should ‘drill, baby, drill’ – in the words of Donald Trump. Pressure has been mounting on the Government to reverse the ban on new exploration of the North Sea as fuel supplies dwindle amid the conflict. Chancellor Rachel Reeves also sparked speculation of a Cabinet rift by saying she is ‘very happy’ to see drilling, while trade unions have been piling further pressure on Labour. And now Labour MPs have publicly called on Mr Miliband to allow fresh exploration. Henry Tufnell has been spearheading the backbench campaign for the Government to issue new drilling licences.  He said drilling was ‘vital for our own domestic energy security and is good for the economy with increased tax receipts and jobs’.  A growing number of Labour MPs are calling on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (pictured) to soften his Net Zero agenda to tackle the cost of living and bring down bills Since Iran began its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, following US and Israeli attacks, global energy prices have soared. Pictured: File photo of an offshore oil and gas platform  Fellow Labour MP Luke Akehurst agreed, saying there is ‘no contradiction’ between ‘developing renewable energy sources and nuclear, and using our remaining reserves of North Sea oil and gas’. The policy is already backed by Reform UK and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who on Saturday called on Sir Keir to rein in his ‘dogmatic Energy Secretary’.  Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, the SNP, Tony Blair’s think tank and the Labour-backing GMB have also voiced support. But some Labour MPs on the Left strongly object, with Uma Kumaran saying: ‘The climate crisis is very real ... We can’t keep going back to oil and gas.’  Green industrialist Dale Vince, one of Labour’s biggest donors, told Times Radio it would be ‘wrong’ for Labour to allow fresh exploration.  It followed reports Mr Miliband could approve the development of the Jackdaw gas field but remained opposed to Rosebank, the UK’s largest untapped oil site. But sources insisted a decision was always due in the autumn. The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: ‘These decisions will be made in an appropriate and timely manner.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.