LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - British Members of Parliament (MPs) will next week grill outgoing BP Plc Chief Executive Tony Hayward, as part of an investigation into risks around deepwater drilling in the North Sea.
BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill has raised concerns globally about the dangers of drilling in ever-deeper waters.
North Sea producers are fighting to convince the British government that the UK does not need a moratorium on drilling, like the one imposed in the U.S. by President Barack Obama, pending a review of the cause of the disaster.
Norway has halted new offshore projects until the causes of the rig blast that led to the BP oil spill are known.
A statement from the Commons Energy and Climate Change Select Committee on Thursday said Hayward would testify on Wednesday next week and be accompanied by BP's North Sea boss Bernard Looney and Mark Bly, BP's head of safety.
On Wednesday this week, Bly presented BP's internal probe into the accident which laid most of the blame for the accident on BP's contractors, driller Transocean and Halliburton, the company which cemented the well.
The companies rejected the accusations.
Transocean's North Sea boss Paul King appeared before the Commons committee on Tuesday and was challenged about a report from the UK safety regulator in which employees alleged they had been pressured not to report safety concerns.
While the committee said it would question Hayward about the implications of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for deepwater drilling in the UK, the agenda did not specifically include plans to discuss the causes of the spill itself.
Hayward is due to be replaced next month by Bob Dudley, who is currently leading the BP cleanup effort in the Gulf. (Reporting by Tom Bergin; Editing by Hans Peters)