In her first 48 hours as energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh faced immediate pressure from climate activists. Protesters from Fossil Free London met her outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) dressed as firefighters, holding placards reading: "We’re already putting out fires, don’t start new ones." The demonstration targeted the contentious decision on whether to approve new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, particularly at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields off the north-east coast of Scotland.
Background and political context
Fahnbulleh, the Labour MP for Peckham, is a radical economist known for her outspoken views on the climate crisis. Her appointment comes amid speculation that Prime Minister Andy Burnham may approve new drilling, a move critics say contradicts the UK's net zero commitments. Her predecessor, Ed Miliband, had described the Rosebank licence as "climate vandalism" and may be relieved to have passed the decision.
Jackdaw and Rosebank are not covered by the ban on new North Sea drilling licences because their applications were already underway when Labour took office. A government decision on these fields has been long anticipated.
Expertise and policy stance
People close to Fahnbulleh believe she has the skills to challenge claims that drilling ensures UK energy resilience. "She is a hugely impressive person, an economist who has risen quickly to become secretary of state," said one source. Tessa Khan, executive director of campaign group Uplift, noted: "The science is very clear. Burning the reserves in existing oil and gas fields will blow the global carbon budget and breach the 1.5C climate limit."
Fahnbulleh's appointment marks a continuation of the Miliband era, which faced right-wing attacks for its mission to decarbonise the UK's power sector by 2030. From 2017 to the end of 2023, she led the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a thinktank known for radical economic thinking on climate, social justice, and the environment. The NEF coined the "Green New Deal" to tackle the 2008 financial crisis, climate breakdown, and soaring energy prices.
Previous advocacy and current challenges
In a 2021 joint report with Friends of the Earth, the NEF called for a total end to new North Sea drilling, cancellation of future licensing rounds, revocation of undeveloped licences, and rejection of development consent applications. Imogen Dow, energy lead for Friends of the Earth, said: "She must hold the line against harmful fossil fuel expansion – including the highly contentious Jackdaw and Rosebank fields – make cheap, clean energy available to all, and build on Ed Miliband’s efforts to scale up renewable power capacity."
Fahnbulleh's rise has been meteoric. She is the only MP from the 2024 intake to receive a full cabinet position, a path predicted by the New Statesman, which listed her among the 50 most influential people in progressive politics.
Personal background and career
Born in Liberia in 1979, Fahnbulleh came to Britain at age six with her parents as asylum seekers, fleeing the first Liberian civil war. The family settled in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where she attended an independent school. "My childhood in Liberia had a massive impact," she has said. "You see abject poverty and extreme wealth, you see how the family you were born into affects your life and you understand why inequality is wrong."
She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating in 2000, then earned an MA and PhD in economic development from the London School of Economics. Fahnbulleh was a former adviser to Ed Miliband before becoming an MP, first serving as his deputy in DESNZ, then as a minister at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Political alignment and future outlook
Fahnbulleh is a key policy brain in the Burnham cabinet, championing bottom-up economic growth in local communities, devolving resources and tax-raising powers. Laura Clarke, CEO of ClientEarth, said: "She has real expertise in both energy and the economics of it. She absolutely understands the economic imperative of transitioning to a green economy as well as the energy security and social imperatives."
As she takes on her new role, Fahnbulleh will face accusations from the right of being a net zero zealot and lobbying from her own party and some trade unions to approve new North Sea drilling. However, her history suggests she is not easily swayed. She was the first minister to resign after Labour's disastrous local election results in May, telling Keir Starmer in her resignation letter: "We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition our mandate for change demands of us." As the UK emerges from three unprecedented heatwaves with wildfires and broken climate records, her success will be judged on her ability to balance these pressures.
