US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on Britain’s energy policy, branding Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s push to wind down North Sea oil and gas as “suicidal” for the UK’s economy and security.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump warned that punitive taxes and red tape had “essentially closed” new development in the basin.
“They’ve given up their powerful edge,” he said. “The North Sea is so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company can go there.”
The President – who last week made a state visit to the UK – described Aberdeen as “the oil capital of Europe” and claimed there was still “tremendous oil that hasn’t been found” offshore.
He revealed that during meetings in London he had repeatedly urged Starmer to reverse course. “I was with the Prime Minister – I respect and like him a lot – and I said, ‘you’re sitting with the greatest asset’,” Trump said.
“For three days in a row, that’s all he heard – North Sea oil, North Sea.”
Trump’s remarks set up a fresh transatlantic clash over energy strategy, with Washington pushing for more drilling while Labour seeks to accelerate the UK’s transition away from fossil fuels.