Labour plans to ban North Sea oil production naive, says union leader

Gary Smith of GMB union, a key Labour donor, says plan shows ‘lack of intellectual rigour’

The head of a union that is one of Labour’s biggest donors has accused the party of “being naive” over its plans to ban North Sea oil and gas production.

Labour has pledged to block all new domestic oil and gas developments if it wins power, proposing instead to invest heavily in renewable sources such as wind and also in nuclear power.