The UK government approved natural gas production at the Jackdaw field on October 21, 2026, clearing a project first approved in 2022 and then stalled by a Greenpeace legal challenge. Shell and Equinor, joint venture partners, expect to begin production within weeks, and London says the field will supply gas to homes and businesses as soon as the end of this month. The approval lands as UK inflation hit 3.5 percent for September and the Iran war pushes energy costs higher, with oil rising after two tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz.