Burnham says he told Trump UK will be pragmatic about North Sea oil
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated he will take a pragmatic approach to North Sea oil and gas drilling following discussions with US President Donald Trump. While Trump claims Burnham has pledged to open up the North Sea, the UK government maintains it will honor existing licenses without issuing new ones.
Why it matters
The issue highlights the tension between the UK's climate commitments and the economic pressure to utilize domestic energy resources amid global energy instability.
Image source, Getty Images By Kate Whannel Political reporter Published 11 minutes ago Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he told US President Donald Trump he would take a "pragmatic approach" to the issue of North Sea oil and gas.
Trump has long urged the UK to increase drilling and claimed that Burnham had pledged to "open up the North Sea" in their first phone call together.
Asked about the president's comments, the new prime minister said: "There is a resource there. When people are struggling - you can't ignore that and hence me indicating that to the president."
Burnham has faced pressure from some trade unions, industry figures and some of his own Labour MPs to back increased drilling in the North Sea.
In its 2024 general election manifesto, Labour promised not to issue new licences for drilling but said it would honour existing ones.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in