Andy Burnham says he told Donald Trump ‘we can’t ignore’ North Sea oil resources

Andy Burnham has left the door open for future North Sea drilling as he confirmed he told Donald Trump “we can’t ignore” the resources there.The two leaders held a phone call on Mr Burnham’s first day in office, during which the US president said the new Prime Minister told him he would “open up North Sea oil”.Mr Burnham was asked during a visit to Barrow in Cumbria on Thursday whether Mr Trump was correct.

“I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here,” the Prime Minister said.“There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that.

Hence, me indicating that to the president.”Labour’s 2024 manifesto said the party would not issue new North Sea licences, but Mr Burnham appeared to leave the door open to a change.Ed Miliband, who held the energy and net zero brief under Sir Keir Starmer and was a strong supporter of the election pledge, has now taken the Foreign Secretary role.

His successor as Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, has said the manifesto was clear there is scope to exploit existing licences and that oil and gas are “part of the mix” – but would not be drawn on whether there are plans to go further.Mr Burnham’s Government is also facing calls from the energy sector to approve the Jackdaw gasfield east of Aberdeen and Rosebank oilfield west of Shetland. Campaigners have warned that doing so would break the Labour manifesto.

open image in gallery(PA Graphics) (PA Graphics)Consultations on the projects are due to run until August 10 and August 17 respectively, with the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (Opred) due to make a recommendation to the UK Government after that.Mr Trump had already talked up a change in policy that he anticipated under Mr Burnham before the former Greater Manchester mayor took office.The US president, a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, has long railed against “windmills”.

He lost a legal battle with the Scottish Government to stop a wind turbine development visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course.Referring to his conversation with Mr Burnham, Mr Trump said on Wednesday: “Well, he did say one very good thing. He said he’s going to open up North Sea oil.

“If he does that, you’re going to be a wealthy country.”The president added: “They have two problems. They have a huge immigration problem – people coming from all over the world and just camping out in your country.

“He’s got that problem, and he’s got an energy problem.“He’s got windmills all over the place, and any time you see windmills, you see a failing country.“They’re made in China; not used by China, but they’re made in China.”

He went on: “You have one of the most valuable oil finds anywhere in the world, and if the United Kingdom would use it, they’d be a wealthy country again. And I tell you what, I could not get Starmer to use it. It was incredible.”

Mr Trump said: “You have your own oil and gas. If you use the North Sea, the UK will be a really rich country. I cannot get the point across.

“The new gentleman, when I spoke to him, he said he’s going to open up the North Sea. Let’s see if that happens.”open image in galleryDonald Trump plays from the rough on a visit to his golf course near Aberdeen (PA) (PA Archive)The exchange secured the Prime Minister an early endorsement by Mr Tump and signalled a fresh start in the transatlantic partnership after relations with Sir Keir grew increasingly fractious over the Iran war.

The president also said Mr Burnham would have to tackle immigration.Mr Trump said: “He’s going to have to mention it because it’s killing your country.“I know Starmer did very little about it, and they’re coming from all over the world.

“They’re coming from Africa, they’re coming from South America, they’re coming from different parts of Asia, and they’re invading Europe.”He indicated the UK was a “prime” destination.Mr Burnham maintained that progress had been made on curbing migrant crossings over the English Channel when asked if Mr Trump was right.

open image in galleryForeign Secretary Ed Miliband (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)“When it comes to the wider issues around the channel and immigration, obviously there are crossings this week,” he said.“But overall, if you look at the picture in 2026 compared to last year, 2025, there is significant progress in terms of reducing the number of crossings, the number of people coming over.“But there is much further to be done to get the grip on the issue that we require.

“The Home Secretary is applying that grip and I’m grateful to her, but more is needed to get those numbers right down.“The removals are up too though, and this is another part of the story that people need to understand.“You know, there is progress being made on all fronts, but more is needed.”