Britain's incoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is expected to signal a major change in the UK's energy policy on Monday by backing increased oil and gas production in the North Sea.
His decision follows repeated calls from international leaders to "open up" Britain's domestic energy reserves.
Burnham will use his first day in office to announce plans aimed at accelerating North Sea oil and gas development after years of delays under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The announcement is expected to be one of several headline policy moves unveiled during Burnham's first days in office.
While Burnham is expected to maintain Labour's formal commitment against issuing entirely new drilling licenses, he is likely to pledge faster development of existing projects and signal support for expanding production from previously approved fields.
The center of the debate are the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields, which were approved under the previous government before being halted following legal challenges.
Responsibility for moving those projects forward is now expected to fall to Burnham's incoming energy secretary.
The apparent shift comes after years of criticism over Labour's restrictive and climate-centered approach to North Sea production.
International leaders have urged Britain to "open up" its domestic energy reserves, with one notable critic warning that the UK was failing to capitalize on its own natural resources.
Rising energy prices during the conflict with a neighboring country also intensified pressure on the previous prime minister from opposition parties.
Burnham is expected to frame Monday's announcement as a significant change in direction while remaining broadly within Labour's 2024 manifesto commitments.
The move has reportedly won support from the North Sea oil and gas industry as well as major trade unions, who recently urged Burnham to back domestic energy production.
He is also expected to unveil a wider package of domestic policies, including plans for council house construction, greater public control of water and energy companies, and measures aimed at easing pressure from the rising cost of living.
Burnham will formally become Britain's Prime Minister on Monday.
