A majority of Labour voters back North Sea oil drilling, according to new polling that challenges Ed Miliband’s opposition to expanding domestic production.
The survey, commissioned by Looking for Growth, found 57% of all voters support drilling, compared to 15% opposed.
Among Labour voters, support stands at 51% versus 21% against, with 22% neutral and 5% undecided. Even among Green Party supporters, backing for drilling narrowly outweighs opposition (38% to 33%), while support exceeds 70% among Conservative and Reform voters.
The findings come as the UK Government resists calls to boost domestic oil and gas output despite global supply pressures linked to the US-Iran crisis.
Onshore fracking also received mixed backing, with 49% of Labour voters in favour, though only 40% would support it locally. Meanwhile, 61% of voters support nuclear energy, compared with 14% opposed.
Lawrence Newport, chief executive of Looking for Growth, said: “This new polling shows that voters of all parties want a broken system fixed and to be prioritised again.”
Despite the polling, Mr Miliband has maintained a ban on new North Sea drilling.
A UK Government spokesman said: “Regardless of where it comes from, oil and gas is sold on international markets, which set the price for British billpayers – making us a price taker.
“The only way to truly protect ourselves from these price spikes is to get off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets.”