United States President-elect, Donald Trump, has described as a ‘very big mistake’ moves by the United Kingdom to end oil drilling in the North Sea.
Trump disclosed this in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform.
He also made clear his opposition to offshore wind farms — something the UK’s Labour government strongly supports.
He said, “The UK is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of windmills!”
The incoming US President was commenting on an article in which US oil giant Apache said it was quitting the North Sea because of the windfall tax on its profits.
This comes as John Christmann, chief executive of the company’s parent firm, APA, also said UK regulators had issued new rules that will require “substantial new emissions control investments” on facilities operating in the North Sea beyond 2029.
He said, “After six months of evaluation, we have concluded that the investment required to comply with these regulations… coupled with the onerous financial impact of the [windfall tax] makes production of hydrocarbons beyond the year 2029 uneconomic.”
The implication is that Trump is positioning himself in a collision course with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer by condemning his party’s energy policy.
This may lead to a fresh US-UK diplomatic crisis in the coming weeks.
