Labour backbenchers have been pressing the prime minister and the chancellor to commit not to overrule the energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, should she decide to refuse environmental permission for the Rosebank oilfield.
According to reporting in the Guardian, a number of MPs are alarmed by the prospect of a ministerial decision being overturned from above and have expressed concern about the message such an intervention would send to colleagues and the public.
The controversy centres on the proposed Rosebank oilfield and reports that Fahnbulleh was minded to refuse the necessary environmental approval. Those developments have exposed splits within the cabinet, prompting some Labour MPs to warn that forcing a different outcome would leave the energy secretary in what they described as an "intolerable position."
MPs lobbying the leadership have sought assurances that collective responsibility and ministerial autonomy will be respected, arguing that an overrule could intensify tensions within the party and the wider government. The interventions reflect broader unease among backbenchers about how the issue is being handled at the highest levels.
The dispute highlights the political sensitivities around energy policy and environmental approvals, and the difficulty for ministers who must balance competing pressures from colleagues, the public and industry. It remains unclear whether the prime minister or chancellor will publicly respond to the calls from Labour MPs or signal a change to the decision-making process.