Relations between London and Washington remain a key issue for any future UK leadership contender as cross-Atlantic talks span trade, energy and support for Ukraine. Donald Trump has now made his first public comments on Andy Burnham, linking the Labour figure's perceived politics to questions over North Sea oil and gas policy.
Highlights
- Trump criticized Andy Burnham for being 'extremely liberal' and implied he would oppose opening the North Sea for oil and gas development.
- Trump extended previous attacks on Starmer's government to Burnham, linking liberal politics to more restrictive North Sea energy policies.
- Starmer avoids publicly criticizing Trump to maintain U.S.-UK relations and support for Ukraine, highlighting energy and diplomatic pressures impacting the UK political landscape.
White House remarks on Burnham
As reported by Financial Times, Trump says he has heard Burnham is "extremely liberal" and suggests that stance likely means he would not open up the North Sea for oil and gas development.Speaking on Wednesday at the White House, the U.S. president says he knows little about the former mayor of Greater Manchester, adding that he understands Burnham was "the mayor of a town". The comments mark Trump's first public intervention on Britain's prospective prime minister.
Burnham's effort to unseat Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader and UK prime minister is centred on domestic politics, but handling relations with the unpredictable U.S. president stands as one of the main external challenges tied to any change in UK leadership.
Energy and diplomatic pressure on the UK
Trump has repeatedly attacked Starmer's government over what he describes as an attempt to shut down the UK oil and gas industry. His latest remarks extend that criticism to Burnham by tying liberal politics to a more restrictive approach to North Sea development.Starmer largely avoids public criticism of Trump during his premiership as he seeks to secure a trade deal with Washington and preserve American backing for Ukraine in its war with Russia. That balancing act underscores how energy policy and diplomatic ties with the U.S. continue to shape the UK's political and economic landscape.
In our earlier article on union pressure over Andy Burnham’s prospective chancellor pick, we reported that major Labour-linked unions were pushing back against Ed Miliband because they believe his Net Zero approach threatens North Sea oil and gas jobs. We also noted that Burnham could face early, high-stakes decisions on projects such as Jackdaw and Rosebank, alongside wider economic plans that may include devolving parts of taxation and business rates.
Latest Natural Gas News
-
Afghanistan
-
Albania
-
Algeria
-
Angola
-
Argentina
-
Armenia
-
Australia
-
Austria
-
Azerbaijan
-
Bahamas
-
Bahrain
-
Bangladesh
-
Belarus
-
Belgium
-
Bolivia
-
Botswana
-
Brazil
-
Brunei
-
Bulgaria
-
Cambodia
-
Cameroon
-
Canada
-
Chile
-
China
-
Colombia
-
Congo
-
Costa Rica
-
Cote d'Ivoire
-
Croatia
-
Cuba
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
DR Congo
-
Denmark
-
Dominican Republic
-
Ecuador
-
Egypt
-
El Salvador
-
Estonia
-
Eswatini
-
Ethiopia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Georgia
-
Germany
-
Ghana
-
Greece
-
Haiti
-
Hong Kong
-
Hungary
-
India
-
Indonesia
-
Iran, Islamic republic
-
Iraq
-
Ireland
-
Israel
-
Italy
-
Jamaica
-
Japan
-
Jordan
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kenya
-
Korea
-
Kuwait
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Laos
-
Latvia
-
Lebanon
-
Lesotho
-
Libya
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Madagascar
-
Malaysia
-
Malta
-
Mauritius
-
Mexico
-
Moldova
-
Mongolia
-
Montenegro
-
Morocco
-
Mozambique
-
Myanmar
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Netherlands
-
New Zealand
-
Nigeria
-
North Macedonia
-
Norway
-
Oman
-
Pakistan
-
Palestine
-
Panama
-
Papua New Guinea
-
Paraguay
-
Peru
-
Philippines
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Puerto Rico
-
Qatar
-
Reunion
-
Romania
-
Rwanda
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Serbia
-
Singapore
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Somalia
-
South Africa
-
Spain
-
Sri Lanka
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
-
Syria
-
Taiwan
-
Tajikistan
-
Tanzania
-
Thailand
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Tunisia
-
Turkey
-
UAE
-
Uganda
-
Ukraine
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
-
Uruguay
-
Uzbekistan
-
Venezuela
-
Vietnam
-
Yemen
-
Zambia
-
Zimbabwe
- Forex
- Crypto
