Jackdaw Gas Field to Be Staffed by Full-Time Honor Guard of 27, One Per Employee, Marching in Shifts

The Jackdaw gas field will begin pumping gas to British homes at the end of the month, and the government has confirmed that each of the project's 27 full-time employees will be assigned a ceremonial honor guard of equal size, marching in rotating shifts around the largely unmanned platform.

Andy Burnham, who promised pragmatism on energy bills, told the Commons that the arrangement is «a matter of national dignity» and that the guard will drill on the helideck in full dress uniform, saluting the pipeline every time it delivers a cubic metre. Kemi Badenoch countered that the guard should be doubled and funded by a levy on inflation itself, which she described as «the only entity in Britain currently working harder than the platform».

Greenpeace UK condemned the decision, noting that the field will supply roughly two percent of gas demand for about a decade and that the honor guard will create more ceremonial posts than the project creates jobs. A government spokesperson said the guard's boots have already been ordered and that rehearsals begin next week on the beach at Redcar, where local residents have been asked to stand aside for the marching.

By Friday, the Treasury had confirmed that the guard will also accompany every gas bill to the door, standing at attention on the doorstep until the householder has read it in full.

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