Spending on decommissioning activities in the UK North Sea hit a record high of £2.6 billion in 2025, indicating a major ongoing activity in the region's oil and gas industry.

The UK Conservative party has strongly condemned the Labour party's proposal to ban new drilling in the UK North Sea, labeling the policy as "utter madness" and arguing it would forgo billions of barrels of oil.

The debate over the UK's energy policy and North Sea oil and gas intensifies as new findings reveal that hundreds of recently granted licences have produced only 36 days' worth of gas, raising doubts about their impact on energy security and consumer bills.

North Sea oil companies are increasingly looking overseas for growth opportunities, spending three times more on international deals than in Britain, citing high taxes and unpredictable politics as deterrents.

Senior climate figures warn that opening new oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea would send a 'shock wave around the world,' jeopardizing international climate targets and encouraging fossil fuel exploitation by developing countries.

Ithaca Energy states that policy clarity is bringing the Cambo oil and gas project closer to approval. Certainty over the future tax regime is helping unlock one of the UK North Sea’s biggest developments.