On Sunday, President Trump took to his Truth Social account with a shout of congratulations for the people of Aberdeen, Scotland, and the United Kingdom's incoming new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. Why would President Trump be cheering on the Brits' new Labour Party PM?
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 19, 2026
The president writes:
The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil! It is one of the Greatest Sources of quality Oil on Earth, has hundreds of years of Capacity left, with much not even found yet, and will make the United Kingdom, from a Poverty Stricken Disaster, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World! Britain pays Norway Billions of Dollars a year to buy its Oil, which they get from a less valuable part of the North Sea — How ridiculous is that! Also, word is that the UK is going to move the old and horrible looking windmills, which loom over and destroy the City of Aberdeen. That will be a big day for the Country, and will be very much appreciated by everybody. Such great potential in the UK, but it all starts with OPENING NORTH SEA OIL. WE LOVE YOU SCOTLAND! President DONALD J. TRUMP
However, President Trump's enthusiasm may be a trifle premature. The BBC has more detail on Andy Burnham's softening stance towards traditional energy sources, and notes that it's increased extraction, not necessarily exploration, that the incoming PM is touting.
On Saturday, the BBC reported the in-coming prime minister would stick to the party's 2024 manifesto pledge to issue no new oil and gas licences but would honour existing ones.
That line has been confirmed as the hours count down to the Burnham premiership.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said Burnham would stick to the party's manifesto commitments, but there would be a "change of emphasis" on North Sea oil and gas.
It's not yet clear what Burnham means by a "change of emphasis," but it appears as though extraction, if not exploration, is on the table.
"We've been really clear that the way to achieve in the long term energy security and lower bills is by ensuring that we do have our own homegrown, clean, much cheaper energy," she said.
"But we've been absolutely clear that North Sea gas and oil is an important part of that transition.
"It's an important part of the mix, and I think what Andy's talking about is taking a more pragmatic approach and working with the industry to make sure that it can contribute to that [energy] transition and to the mix that is needed over the long term."
If what's meant here is a transition to "green" energy, that's a transition that's unlikely to ever happen, but at least the Labour Party appears now to be recognizing that gas and oil will play a part in Britain's energy portfolio for some time to come.
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The North Sea reserves are considerable. In the UK continental shelf reserves, there are proven reserves of almost 3 billion barrels of oil (equivalent) (boe), of which an estimated 70 percent is oil, 30 percent natural gas. There are an estimated 6 billion boe discovered but undeveloped, and as many as 7 billion more estimated to be present but not yet located. Norway also has reserves of around 10 billion boe.
None of this is doing the British people any good sitting in the ground, or in this case, under the ocean, and this year's hot summer would seem to be a bit of a wakeup call for Britons, angered at being denied the fundamental technology for dealing with hot weather: Air conditioning.
It's not yet clear that President Trump's enthusiasm here is warranted. But, at least, the UK is admitting that their energy future still is dependent on gas and oil - and they are reminded that they have considerable domestic stocks. As for the hesitation on new development, the incoming Prime Minister could take a cue from the United States' energy policy, and "Drill, mate, drill."
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