Six more North Sea oil and gas fields are to get go-ahead despite Boris Johnson's net zero vow on emissions

Six North Sea oil and gas fields are expected to be given the go-ahead this year, despite the Government's drive to cut fossil-fuel emissions.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has pressed Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to fast-track the licences for their construction.

Boris Johnson has previously made clear he wants the UK to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. But the Treasury reportedly fears for the economic impact of switching to greener forms of power too quickly.

It is the latest sign of friction between No 10 and No 11 after the Treasury held back plans for bringing down NHS backlogs.

The regulator – the Oil and Gas Authority – is prepared to give drilling in the six areas the green light. It could begin in the Rosebank field, to the west of Shetland, and at Jackdaw, Marigold, Brodick, Catcher and Tolmount East in the North Sea.

Their combined reserves are thought to be enough to power the UK for six months, with 62million tonnes of oil-equivalent fuel in the ground.

A Whitehall source told The Daily Telegraph: 'The Business Secretary is pushing for more investment into the North Sea while we transition... Kwasi is actively resisting insane calls from Labour and the eco-lobby to turn off UK production.

'Doing so would trash energy security, kill off 200,000 jobs, and we would only end up importing more from foreign countries with dubious records.'

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE