This will be difficult to read for some, but given the geopolitical situation we're in, the government's decision to approve drilling at the Jackdaw gas field is the right one. Here's why ⬇️ Wholesale gas prices have reached a four-year high. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has shown again how quickly global supply can be disrupted, and how exposed we are when we depend on other people's gas. After Russia invaded Ukraine, it was families here at home who felt the cost. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, the pressure on global energy supplies is only getting worse. We'll need gas for years yet. No economist, minister or energy specialist will deny that. The climate concerns are real too, and I agree that new fields cannot become an excuse to slow down on renewable energy. But a credible transition needs a secure pathway to get there. *Security of supply is not the opposite of net zero.* And here's the environmental contradiction: gas that is liquefied, shipped across the sea and then turned back into gas at home has around *three times the production and transport emissions of gas from the North Sea. An insane practice!* The choice being made now, and it's the right choice, is whether more of the gas we need is produced here, by British workers on proper wages and with lower production emissions than imported LNG, or shipped in from overseas. Leaving our own gas in the ground while importing gas doesn't help the planet. It risks simply moving the jobs, the tax revenue and the emissions somewhere else. 🙄 This is a Labour argument. Our movement was built by people who did the hard graft that kept this country going. We often criticise Thatcher for destroying the mining and steel industries. We need to be careful not to do the same to a critical industry in the midst of a dangerous geopolitical moment. I know what the North Sea means to the workers and families who have built their lives on this industry. In my view, a proper transition away from oil and gas means the jobs of tomorrow should arrive before the jobs of today disappear. It also means being realistic about the speed of transition and making sure the skills built in offshore oil and gas are carried over into renewables, rather than written off. This must be done carefully, balancing energy security with the development of alternative sources of energy. In the more dangerous world in which we live today, *energy security is national security.* Diversifying our energy supply builds resilience, reduces our vulnerability and makes us more independent. Today's decision recognises that.