Burnham says the UK will not back away from Jackdaw and Rosebank oil field decisions coming shortly

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters in Motherwell on Friday that rulings on the Jackdaw and Rosebank North Sea projects "will come shortly" and that his government is "not backing away" from them. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said Thursday that a Jackdaw decision is "imminent" while Rosebank will take "a bit longer". Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander warned ministers are staying tight-lipped to avoid a repeat of the legal challenges that derailed the previous government's approvals. Both fields were originally greenlit by the Conservatives before courts ruled their environmental assessments were inadequate.

Rosebank holds more untapped oil than any other North Sea field, and environmentalists regard the upcoming decisions as a crucial test of Burnham's climate credibility.

Alexander refused to say whether a decision had already been made, calling it "a pretty closed box process" even within government.

Alexander also pushed back at SNP First Minister John Swinney's claim that GB Energy has done 'literally, absolutely nothing' since its Aberdeen launch.