The recently formed Social Justice Party which launched at its conference in July of this year has condemned the Government’s decision to grant new gas and oil exploration licences as environmental vandalism.

SJP  North Yorkshire councillor Tony Randerson described the decision recently announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as “another example of the Conservative Party being prepared to do anything to shovel money into the pockets of people already obscenely wealthy.”

He added: “It is hard to imagine a decision more irresponsible than this. The Government says it is pursuing a net zero carbon policy and has had to cobble together a tissue of lies to support this dreadful decision to extract oil and gas from the Rosebank site.’ C

The Government has said the new fields are needed to secure Britain’s energy future and claims the newly extracted oil and gas will lower fuel costs for Britons. Cllr Randerson said: “That is complete nonsense. How can the newly extracted fuels add to our own energy security when nearly all of it will be sold overseas on the open market? And as for  lower fuel costs, it simply won’t happen and that is freely acknowledged by everyone except the Government.”

The Social Justice Party’s chairperson Simon Chester agreed, adding: “There is no moral justification for this, when the additional greenhouse emissions from Rosebank alone exceed half the UK’s remaining carbon budget for oil and gas. In addition, it is expected to make a loss for the UK Treasury as the tax handouts to the companies involved will exceed revenue. The British taxpayer will be subsidising polluting, private companies, while our public services crumble.”

When Cllr Randerson left the Labour Party earlier this year to recontest his Eastfield division seat as a member of the Social Justice Party, he cited the Labour Party’s failure to properly represent the interests of working class people and has slammed Labours “pitiful” response to this latest Government announcement.

“What a joke the Labour Party has become. They claim to oppose this decision but then say   they won’t stop it if they win Government. Their position on this – as with many other issues – is cowardly and demonstrates yet again they are no different to the Conservatives when it comes to whose interests they really serve.”