Musicians’ Letter to UK Prime Minister in Opposition to the Rosebank Oilfield
On Friday, EarthPercent and our grant partner Uplift sent an open letter from musicians to the UK’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging him to reject development of the Rosebank oilfield. Rosebank is the largest undeveloped oilfield in the North Sea. After a public consultation ends today (August 17th), the decision on whether to allow its development officially rests in the Government’s hands. The letter and its 211 signatories are below, including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Paris Paloma, Robert Smith, Olly Alexander, Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Imogen Heap, Obongjayar, Bicep, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway, Ren, Jacob Collier, Romy, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Yard Act, ELIZA, Rou Reynolds (Enter Shikari) and many more.
If you are a musician and want to sign: let us know by emailing hello@earthpercent.org.
A Letter from Musicians to Prime Minister Andy Burnham
"Dear Andy Burnham MP,
CC: Miatta Fahnbulleh, Secretary of State, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero
In the summer of 2025 over 100 artists and musicians wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ask him to say no to the drilling of Rosebank, the biggest undeveloped oil field in the North Sea. Now, in the hottest summer any of us have experienced, we ask the same of the new Prime Minister. As the leader of our country, we hope that you take seriously what we ask of you: to stop the Rosebank oil field.
As artists, we have become starkly aware of the fact that our livelihoods often depend upon the reliability of safe weather conditions and stable energy costs for live events. Like you, we've seen the enormous harm the recent heatwaves have already had on people's health, children's education, businesses and the whole economy - including music. The widespread disruption of music events across Europe and Wembley’s rule-changes for Harry Styles’ shows could be just the beginning. Our continued dependence on oil and gas has strengthened heatwaves and made us vulnerable to volatile energy costs - but it is a dependence that we can end.
We care about climate change, not just as musicians and artists, but as people of the UK who know that political decisions made now will be what our generation is remembered for.
The science is clear: the world already has far more oil and gas than can be safely burned to avert the worst impacts of climate change. If approved, the climate pollution from Rosebank would be vast - equivalent to almost 70 percent of UK annual emissions - making its approval inconsistent with both safe climate thresholds and the UK’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The majority of Rosebank’s oil would be for export, meaning it would not lower bills or make any meaningful impact to UK energy security. Nor would it stem the decline in North Sea jobs, which have more than halved in the past decade, despite new field approvals. Generous tax breaks also mean that the public would effectively shoulder over 80% of the costs of developing the field, while the developers – Shell, Equinor and Ithaca Energy – take the profits.
We write to you as artists with the knowledge that you are an avid music fan yourself, and that you stood alongside Massive Attack to sign the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty on behalf of Greater Manchester. We ask that you continue this commitment to no new oil and gas as Prime Minister, and resist lobbying and mis/disinformation of oil and gas companies who are seeking Rosebank’s approval solely for their own benefit.
We ask you to act in the interests of the public, the majority of whom are anxious about our warming world and are asking for the government to act. To many, Rosebank is a defining test of Labour’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
Whatever changes happen in politics, one thing is certain: our world is getting hotter. The political decisions made now in 2026 and up to the end of this decade will determine what world future generations will inherit from us. If you approve new oil and gas drilling as our new Prime Minister, while the impacts of the climate crisis are already hurting us all, this is what you will be remembered for.
It looks like this pivotal decision will be in your hands. We ask you now, as we asked the previous Prime Minister: Stop Rosebank."
Signatories
Ada Parris
Adrian Utley
Aileen Dela Cruz
Alex Painter
Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip)
Alice Boyd
Alison Cotton
Anna Calvi
Anna Meredith
Anoushka Shankar
Aoife Anson-O'Connell (Westside Cowboy)
April De Angelis
Archie Wylie
Ash McNaughton
Asher Korner
Asya Fairchild Ünal
Ayla Schafer
Bake
Berne
Bicep
Billie Maree
BISHI
Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream)
Brian Eno
Brigitte Hart
Carl Joesbury
Cassandra Bochsler (Tha Goddess & Shiva’s Ink INC)
Catherine Anne Davies (The Anchoress)
Celeste Goschen
Celeste Madden
Charlie Laffer
Cheryl Hillier
Ciaran Austin
Clive Langer
Confidence Man
Cosmo Sheldrake
Dan Edelstyn (Orchestra of Cardboard)
Daniel Avery
Danny Trachtenberg
DARGZ
Daudi Matsiko
Dave Manington
David Gray
David W
Deary
Domi Palmer
Duncan Boyce
Ed O’Brien (Radiohead)
Ed Riman (Hilang Child)
Eerf Evil (Live Free)
ELIZA
Eliza Rose
Elkka
Ella Brereton
Emre Ramazanoglu
Finlay Khushi
Fred Alexander
G9 LUV
Gavin Turk
GRANDAD
Greg Dixon (The Popguns)
Hannah Marshall - H+
Hannah Peel
Harri Parkinson
Hayden Thorpe
Helen Ganya
Hinako Omori
Holly B
I. JORDAN
Ian Bruce
ILĀ
Imogen Heap
Isa Suarez
Jabez Walsh (For The Culture Collective)
Jack Fingland
Jack McNeill
Jack Rennie
Jack Ross
Jacob Collier
James Ford
James Hurst
James Yorkston
Jamie Chellar
Jamie Lloyd-Taylor
Jamie McCormick
Jasmin Kent Rodgman
Jason Singh
Jesse Quin (Keane)
JJerome87
Joe Futak
John Calvert
Jojo Khor
Jon Hopkins
Jon Moody (Franc Moody)
Joseph Townshend
Josephine Illingworth
Joshua James
Joshua Satchell
Joy Anonymous
Jude Woodhead (Saint Jude)
Julia Gelpke
Kai Isaiah Jamal
Kai Wei
Kamī
Karen Edwards
Karl D’Silva
Karum Cooper
Kat Five
Kerrie Robinson
Kevin Rowland
Kez
Kiah Gossner
Kieren Taylor-Dixon
Kirsty Irwin
kiskadee
Kiss Nuka
Kit Rice
Kwake Bass (Speakers Corner Quartet)
Kyami Mitsui Russell (iamkyami, Goofball Studios)
Laline Paull
Lambrini Girls
Lanterns on the Lake
Laura Misch
Lee Paterson
Leo Abrahams
Lewis Conroy
Liam Thorne
Like It Or Not
Lisa Young In Ullrich
Lottie Pendlebury (Goat Girl)
Louis VI
Love Ssega
Lucy Kitto
Lucy Watkins
Luke Mark
Luke Phillips
Malcolm Garrett MBE RDI
Marcus Lyon
Maria Uzor
Matt Black (Coldcut)
Matt Tong
May Kershaw
Merz
Michael Hrebeniak
Midland
Mika Sellens
Mike Kintish
Misha Mullov-Abbado
Molly Gromadzki
Nadeem Din-Gabisi
Ned Franc (Franc Moody)
Neil Griffiths (Arts Emergency)
Nick Barbachano
Nick Carlisle
Nick Donovan (wildwildsky)
Nick Wells
Nicolas Jaar
Obongjayar
Olly Alexander
Paris Paloma
Paul Ewen
Penelope Isles
Pete M. Wyer
Philip Selway
Phoebe Coco
Pier Danio Forni
Rebecca Jones (Saint Saviour)
Ren Gill
Reuben Haycocks (Westside Cowboy)
Richard Norris
Riley MacIntyre
Rob Ellis
Robert Del Naja & Grant Marshall (Massive Attack)
Robert Smith
Robin Simões da Silva
Rocco
Romy Burn
Roost Jones (Goat Girl)
Rory Hamilton (Hammer)
Rory Lethbridge
Rosa Walton
Rou Reynolds (Enter Shikari)
S M
Sallie Atkin
Sam Heath (Sounds Like These)
Sam Lee
Sans Soucis
Sarah Angliss
Sarah P Corbett (Craftivist Collective)
Sarah Small
Sebastian Gilmore
Seraphina Simone
Shanti Celeste
SHHE
Simon Raymonde (Bella Union)
Sweetie Irie
Sylvia Yau
Teneil Throssel (HAAi)
Thom Yorke
Tobi Adebajo
Tom Andrews
Tom Rasmussen
Tommy Perman
Tori Tsui
Tusks
Wendy Pickles (The Popguns)
Xu Shaoyang
Yara Liz
YARD ACT
Yazz Ahmed
Zeta Sky