Rosebank Oil Field Approval May Violate UK's Own West Bank Sanctions, Campaigners Warn Burnham

The UK government is facing mounting pressure to clarify whether approving Britain's largest untapped oil field would contradict its own newly announced sanctions regime targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Campaigners and political figures have written directly to Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, warning that proceeding with the Rosebank development could undermine the government's stated commitment to holding settlement financiers accountable.

Rosebank, which lies off the coast of Shetland, has become one of the most politically charged energy decisions in recent British history. The field was originally approved by the previous Conservative government in 2023, but that decision was successfully challenged in the courts by campaigners, including the group Uplift. The resulting legal battle has left the project in limbo, awaiting a fresh ruling that will ultimately determine whether drilling can proceed.

At the centre of the controversy is the involvement of Delek Group, an Israeli company that controls Ithaca Energy, which in turn holds a 20 percent stake in the Rosebank project. Last year, Delek Group was named in a United Nations database of firms alleged to provide services or utilities supporting settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. Delek has strongly denied any ongoing involvement in settlements and insists its inclusion in the database was mistaken.

A spokesman for the company told the Daily Telegraph that Delek no longer had any connection to Israeli settlements and was wrongly listed. The company has stated its intention to formally challenge the UN listing alongside its legal advisers and to request the immediate removal of its name from the database.

Environmental campaigners from Stop Rosebank and Greenpeace, supported by Uplift, have co-ordinated a letter to Burnham and Miliband asking the government to state clearly whether Delek would fall within the scope of the sanctions announced last month. The letter, seen by BBC News, demands an unequivocal answer on whether the company would be caught by the new measures.

Uplift, whose legal challenge against Rosebank in 2023 triggered the ongoing delay, posed a pointed question to the government: if Delek is not captured by the planned sanctions, how would that be consistent with ministers' stated intent to penalise those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements? The group has argued that not a single penny of North Sea oil profit should flow to a company that itself now risks being sanctioned by the UK.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has separately written to Miliband, pressing him on what steps the government would take to prevent revenue from UK oil and gas production from financing illegal settlements. Polanski described Rosebank as a test of whether Labour's proposed sanctions regime is fit for purpose, arguing that companies blacklisted by the UN should not be bankrolled by North Sea revenues.

The sanctions were unveiled by Miliband last month, marking a hardening of the UK's position. The measures target companies and individuals who provide services such as infrastructure to settlement expansion, and they also ban imports of goods originating from illegal settlements. The announcement drew a furious response from Israel, which accused the UK government of pursuing anti-Israel policies.

Ithaca Energy, which is a London Stock Exchange-listed company and a member of the FTSE 100, responded to the concerns by emphasising its corporate credentials. A spokesperson said the firm is governed by the highest standards of corporate governance, is one of the largest investors in the North Sea and Scotland, acts as a responsible employer, and makes a major contribution to both the UK Treasury through tax payments and to the country's energy security.

The decision on whether to approve Rosebank now rests formally with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh. However, the outcome will be widely interpreted as a signal of Burnham's broader thinking on oil and gas policy. Miliband was widely believed to have opposed Rosebank during his time as Sir Keir Starmer's energy secretary, while Burnham has repeatedly spoken of the need for a flexible approach to energy and is thought to favour increased drilling where licences already exist in the North Sea.

The political stakes extend beyond domestic energy policy. President Trump has pressured successive UK prime ministers to expand North Sea drilling, and the decision could have implications for the UK's relationship with Washington. Downing Street is reported to be relieved that Trump has not reacted aggressively to the recent West Bank sanctions, although his administration has made clear the United States will not follow the same course of action.

The question of whether to approve Rosebank, alongside the Jackdaw gas field east of Aberdeen, carries enormous political significance. Both projects have become flashpoints in the wider debate over Britain's energy future, its climate commitments, and its foreign policy stance on Israeli settlements. The timing of the decision remains uncertain, but a long-awaited ruling is expected soon.

Tessa Khan, executive director at Uplift, reinforced the campaigners' position, insisting that no profits from North Sea oil should be directed to a company that now risks being sanctioned by the UK government. The Foreign Office declined to comment on the matter when approached by BBC News.

Israel has constructed approximately 160 settlements housing around 700,000 Jewish residents since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside these settlements, which are regarded as illegal under international law. Recent months have seen a rise in violence by settlers towards Palestinians in the West Bank, adding further urgency to the debate over how far Britain's sanctions should reach.