Responding to today's announcement by BP to sell their North Sea oil and gas business, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

“The workers who work for BP’s North Sea business must put be at the heart of all discussions going forward. Jobs, pay and conditions must be protected.

"It was Unite members, including contractors, doing skilled work that benefited BP, kept the lights on and petrol in the pumps. Unite will not allow these workers to be cast aside as afterthought in any sale.

"In my conversations with the Prime Minister, I have been very clear that whilst we of course support net zero, we cannot have a jobless transition or offshore our carbon responsibilities. There needs to be a concrete plan for commensurate jobs for workers currently working in the North Sea. We cannot let go of one rope until we have hold of another.”