Tory donor’s oil and gas company given North Sea licence after £150,000 fine

Subsidiary of EnQuest, which was fined in 2022 for illegal gas flaring, awarded one of 24 new drilling licences

An oil and gas company owned by a major Tory donor, which has been fined for illegal flaring, has been awarded a licence to drill for fossil fuels by the government.

This week, the government granted the right to drill for fossil fuels in 24 new licence areas across the North Sea. One of the licences was given to EnQuest Heather, a subsidiary of EnQuest.