Do we like them?

Do we like BP?

Global oil and gas major (petrol stations, refining, trading, upstream drilling), headquartered in London

Our score: 3 out of 10. Not for us. It has a record of serious harm, it is dropping its climate goals, and its boardroom has been chaotic. Its new management is focused on cash, not conscience.

BP's name is tied to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, when an explosion on a rig it had leased killed 11 people. A US judge ruled BP was grossly negligent, and the company pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Its own estimate of the total bill is about $61.6bn.

In 2020 BP famously promised to shrink oil output and grow renewables. That has been unwound. In 2025 it cut transition spending by over $5bn a year, and its then-CEO said it had gone 'too far, too fast'. Climate groups such as 350.org criticised the move.

The top has been a revolving door. Reuters reported BP's board ousted chair Albert Manifold in May 2026 over governance and conduct concerns, after less than eight months. Murray Auchincloss left as CEO in December 2025. Former Woodside boss Meg O'Neill became BP's fifth CEO since 2020.

Under O'Neill, BP has scrapped its low-carbon business unit and is selling assets, including North Sea assets and a German refinery. She told Semafor BP won't return to renewable power any time soon and will stay focused on oil and gas.

Environmental groups have sued the US government over its approval of BP's Kaskida ultra-deepwater project in the Gulf, saying BP hasn't shown it can contain a blowout. BP calls the suit unfounded. On balance we give it a 3: it has paid for past harm, but the future looks like more oil and less accountability.