So, now the whole of the north-east knows how a spaniel feels.

You know, that thing where someone puts a biscuit on the end of a dog’s nose and says: “Wait!”

Then you give it a while as the poor pooch goes cross-eyed looking at the tasty treat, slithering at the chops in anticipation, while the owner smiles smugly at his control over his obedient pet.

Finally, he says the word and the dog devours the biscuit with relish, already looking forward to the next crumb it might get.

And so it is with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his approach to whether or not to approve drilling in the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields. Just wait, we are told.

Only we are not talking about a dog treat. We are talking about the livelihoods of thousands of people in the oil and gas sector across........

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