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UK PM Burnham says he will take a pragmatic approach to North Sea oil
Burnham said he told Donald Trump he will not ignore North Sea oil and gas given energy pressures on households, despite Labour’s past pledge not to issue new drilling licences.
BBC Business reports that Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he told US President Donald Trump he would take a pragmatic approach to North Sea oil and gas.
Burnham said the resource exists, and that when people are struggling, the UK cannot ignore it, responding to Trump’s claim that Burnham had pledged to “open up the North Sea.”
The article says Burnham is facing pressure from some trade unions, industry figures and Labour MPs about whether to support increased drilling, noting that Labour’s 2024 manifesto promised not to issue new licences for drilling but to honour existing ones.
It also describes prior criticism of North Sea drilling, including Ed Miliband’s earlier view of the Rosebank licence as “climate vandalism,” and notes that Conservatives and Reform have urged more drilling, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski warned new drilling would worsen the climate breakdown and harm the economy.