Donald Trump has claimed that people in 'poverty-stricken' Scotland are 'dancing in the streets' over incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham's plan to expand North Sea oil drilling. In a post on Truth Social, the former US president praised Burnham, who will become the UK's fifth prime minister during Trump's time in office, for pledging to open up the North Sea for further exploration.
Trump's social media outburst
Trump wrote: '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!'
He added that the UK should 'move the old and horrible-looking windmills' in Aberdeen, referring to the Bay Wind Farm, which consists of wind turbines, not windmills. Trump did not elaborate on this remark.
Economic context and statistics
According to The World Bank, around 0.4% of people in the UK live on approximately £2.20 a day, compared with 1.10% in the US. The UK imported 16.2 million metric tons of crude oil from the US in 2024.
Burnham's policy shift
Insiders told the BBC that Burnham is considering approving new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, about 80 miles from the Shetland Islands. This would mark a departure from Labour's 2024 manifesto, which pledged not to issue new licenses, arguing that pumping more fossil fuels would do little to ease energy bills. The Rosebank and Jackdaw fields were approved in 2022 and 2023, but a court later ruled the approval unlawful due to climate concerns. Burnham could bypass the pledge by speeding up already approved projects, insiders said.
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell dismissed reports of a policy change as 'speculation,' adding: 'I don't think it's a change of policy. It's more a change of emphasis.'
