To drill or not to drill? Andy Burnham faces North Sea oil dilemma

Recently the SNP MSP Jack Middleton – who represents Aberdeen Central – called for both Rosebank and Jackdaw to go ahead, saying “we should be decreasing our reliance on countries in the middle east and from friends of Vladimir Putin”.

He’s a former advisor to John Swinney, and though the Scottish government won’t take a firm stance on any drilling decision, they seem to be entirely relaxed about SNP politicians making interventions like this.

Even for the Conservatives, who have always been fairly sympathetic to oil and gas exploration, the rhetoric has been dialled up.

Kemi Badenoch has promised to “get Britain drilling”, a pledge that seemed go down well with the people of Aberdeen South in a recent Westminster by-election, who elected a Conservative MP.

When it comes to both Rosebank and Jackdaw, the UK government position is that decisions will be made “in due course”.

Andy Burnham will be presented with a plethora of difficult political calls the moment he crosses the threshold of 10 Downing Street.

Defence funding, welfare bills and immigration policy will all require his attention.

But amidst all of this, he will have to signal – fairly swiftly – the approach he plans to take when it comes to the future of the North Sea.

It feels like that inevitably involves letting down at least some in his own party, and some of the public too.