Green energy donor Dale Vince backs North Sea drilling he once called a betrayal

Dale Vince, the green energy millionaire and Labour donor, has told the Prime Minister he now supports approving the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. The Independent reports Vince argued the move could "save money for the country" - months after he publicly described new North Sea drilling as a "betrayal".

The Mail carries Vince's statement that approving the fields would benefit the economy. GB News reports the Prime Minister has also announced a £65 million support package for farmers, though the outlet quotes critics calling it a "drop in the ocean" given the sector faces a "grim" outlook "until the spring".

The reversal is instructive. When capital talks, principles sometimes defer to the national account - and the language shifts with it. What was framed as a climate line in the sand becomes a cost-benefit question when the donor class weighs in. The country is watching to see whether the government's energy policy follows the manifesto or the cheque book.

The approvals haven't been granted yet. Whether Burnham's government moves on Rosebank and Jackdaw - and how it explains the decision - will tell the reader which pressure won.