Burnham urged to end windfall tax if he enters No 10

Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said: “Jackdaw will have no impact on our energy bills and do precious little to increase our gas supply.

“Even in the most optimistic scenario, and assuming none of its gas is exported, it would provide just two per cent of UK gas demand over its nine to 12 year lifetime. The reality is, after 50 years of drilling, the UK has now burned most of its gas and a relatively small gas field like Jackdaw will do next to nothing to reduce our dependence on imports.

“And while we remain hooked on gas, we will get poorer, while companies like Jackdaw’s owner Shell, cash in. High gas prices are what’s forcing millions into energy debt, while Shell is forecast to earn nearly $30billion this year.

“The only way to insulate ourselves from price shocks is to double down on renewables and upgrade homes to get us off gas. This is just common sense in today’s world, particularly when we also know that fossil fuels are what is driving these more frequent and intense heatwaves in the UK.

“From its drilling application, it is obvious that Shell has failed to properly engage with the government’s new climate test, which allows us to know if a project like Jackdaw is compatible with safe climate limits and the UK’s climate commitments. Shell cannot keep trying to get away with hiding what they are doing to our planet.”