Donald Trump has offered advice to incoming Labour leader Andy Burnham, urging him to open the North Sea for oil drilling—a suggestion he claims Prime Minister Keir Starmer ignored. The US President said he has been approached by oil executives begging for access to UK waters.
Trump's comments on Burnham
Speaking to reporters, Trump admitted he knew little about Burnham, describing him as 'the mayor of a town' and 'extremely liberal.' He said: 'I hear he’s extremely liberal, extremely, so that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea.'
Trump contrasted Burnham with Starmer, claiming he gave the Prime Minister 'some pretty good advice' to reopen North Sea drilling. 'I said, open up the North Sea, go to Aberdeen, which was the hottest city of the whole continent. It was the oil city of Europe, and they closed everything. It was terrible,' Trump said.
Oil industry pressure
Trump asserted that 'every oil company' has come to him seeking help to drill in the UK. 'Sir, could you give us access to the UK? We would do anything to drill in the North Sea,' he claimed they said. He criticized the UK for buying oil from Norway, which extracts from the North Sea, at a premium.
'Norway’s got now two trillion dollars in the bank, and the UK is dying, so they should open up the North Sea, and it’s an easy one, and a lot of good things are going to happen. It’s among the greatest deals in the world,' Trump added.
Context and reaction
Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to become Labour leader after Starmer's tenure. Trump's comments come amid ongoing debate over UK energy policy and environmental commitments. The North Sea oil and gas sector has faced declining production and regulatory challenges.
This is a developing story. More updates to follow.
