T he wars in Ukraine and Iran have brutally exposed the fragility of Britain’s energy supplies . Despite the transition to renewable sources , which must continue unabated, the country is still highly reliant on gas for heating and electricity generation.

But it has become painfully apparent that the UK economy depends on the kindness of strangers, friendly or otherwise, to keep the lights on and the delivery trucks running.

Which is why the difficult decision made by the Burnham government to permit further gas production in the North Sea’s Jackdaw field is justified. It won’t make a dent in domestic gas bills – no one should expect that – but it will be some help in the desperate struggle to ensure security of supplies and energy resilience.

Where once it was absolutely normal that British needs were met by imports of gas from Norway, the United States and Qatar, diesel fuel from Russia, and electricity from France, that is plainly no longer an option.…