Should the UK open up the North Sea for oil drilling?

The North Sea is a mature basin with around 93% of recoverable oil and gas already extracted according to the North Sea Transition Authority. The previous Labour government under Keir Starmer restricted new drilling licences while the current Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces renewed pressure from Donald Trump and industry to expand production for jobs, tax revenue and energy security. New fields can take five to ten years to develop and any extra output enters global markets without directly lowering UK consumer bills.