Donald Trump has declared that people in Aberdeen are “dancing in the streets” after Andy Burnham, the fifth prime minister the US president has dealt with, prepares to take office tomorrow. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed Burnham will “open up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil”, transforming the UK from a “poverty stricken disaster” into “one of the richest countries anywhere in the World”. Trump added: “WE LOVE YOU SCOTLAND!”
But the president’s description of a “poverty stricken” UK sits awkwardly with World Bank data showing just 0.4% of the UK population live on around £2.20 a day – less than half the 1.10% rate in the US. The UK imported 16.2 million metric tons of crude oil from the US in 2024.
“Trump says Scots 'dancing' as Burnham set to open North Sea oil, but Labour faces pledge controversy.”
Insiders told the BBC that Burnham is considering approving new oil and gas projects about 80 miles from the Shetland Islands, a move that would break Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge to block further fossil fuel extraction. Regulators had already given the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields the green light in 2022 and 2023, but a court ruled last year that the approvals were unlawful over climate concerns. Burnham could sidestep the pledge by speeding up those already-approved projects, insiders said.
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell dismissed reports of a policy shift as “speculation”, adding: “I don’t think it’s a change of policy. It’s more a change of emphasis.”
Over his 25-year political career, Burnham has said little about foreign policy, leaving diplomats frustrated. The incoming prime minister now faces a choice: continue Keir Starmer’s cautious approach of edging closer to Europe while avoiding US confrontation, or side with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has accused Trump of creating a “rupture in the world order”. Trump, meanwhile, urged the UK to “move the old and horrible-looking windmills” off Aberdeen – apparently a reference to the Bay Wind Farm’s turbines.