Donald Trump made the comments outside the White House after a call with Andy Burnham.
Donald Trump heaped praise onto Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has claimed the UK is on the verge of becoming “very rich” as he poured praise onto Andy Burnham. In a surprising moment where he praised the Prime Minister, Mr Trump said “Andy is getting it done” as he again claimed the UK was “opening up North Sea oil”. The comments from the US President come after Mr Burnham’s Government this week gave the go-ahead to gas drilling in the Jackdaw field. In welcoming the scheme at the time, Mr Trump appeared to confuse fossil fuels and suggest it was oil which would be tapped by the project. A decision has yet to be made on the Rosebank oil and gas field, west of Shetland in Scotland’s north.
Mr Trump said he had spoken to the Prime Minister as he left the White House on Friday to head for a campaign rally in Florida. He told reporters: “We discussed the fact that they’re opening up the North Sea oil, and that’s going to make the UK a very rich country.
“They’re opening up the North Sea oil. I’ve been after them to do that for two years. The other Prime Minister, the previous man, Starmer. He’s a very nice man, but he never got it done, and this one is getting it. Andy is getting it done, and I guess it’s against the liberal principle, but he knows what’s right. It’s going to make UK a very wealthy country.”
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Andy Burnham came in for praise from Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, Mr Burnham has said the decision on the Rosebank oil field will be “done properly” in the face of almost certain legal challenges if approved. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has said there is a “tight” framework for making the decision to avoid courts overturning it and that she would have the final say.
The approval of Jackdaw is expected to increase domestic gas production by around 6% at its peak, safeguard hundreds of jobs and provide an estimated £2.9 billion economic boost.
Although environmental campaigners have strongly criticised the move, ministers argue that while UK households and businesses are still using gas, it makes more economic and environmental sense to increase domestic production rather than rely on imports shipped from around the world.
Gas from Jackdaw, around 150 miles east of Aberdeen, will start to supply homes and businesses from the end of the month after getting the green light.
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said the project was “great news for the wealth and prosperity of the United Kingdom, and the wonderful region of Aberdeen”. He urged ministers to “go full blast”, while also calling on them to “take down the costly and ridiculous windmills”.
The president has consistently pressed for the UK to exploit its natural resources in the North Sea, previously claiming that Britain was “a bankrupt country” and that the nation was “sitting on top of gold”.
Mr Trump, a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, has also 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.
A leading champion of family businesses brands the Government’s EU push a ‘weapon of distraction’ to cover Labour’s lack of leadership and economic growth
Andy Burnham has been warned against pushing the UK back into the EU (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Britain faces “economic disaster” and the death of the family business if Labour continues to pursue “anti-growth” policies, the chairman of the Independent Business Network (IBN) has warned. John Longworth, writing in a Budget submission, urges a radical change of course and makes the case that rejoining the European Union – a long-term possibility floated by Andy Burnham – would be “insanity”.
In a damning assessment of Labour’s record in power, he said: “There appears to be a blind attachment in the corridors of power to tax and spend, and to ideological policies such as net zero, the direct attack on property ownership and inheritance, and welfare profligacy. A continuation of this approach risks economic disaster and the demise of family businesses. Rather than address the real issues of government policy and the economy, the Prime Minister has chosen instead to pursue rejoining the European Union, raising false hope that this would solve Britain’s problems. It would introduce years of uncertainty and conflict. Quite apart from the enormous cost of such a policy, tying the UK to a failing economic model would be most unlikely to boost our fortunes. It is such insanity that the only rational explanation is that it is a ‘weapon of distraction’, designed to divert attention from the absence of both leadership and economic growth that besets our government.”
The IBN is calling for a reversal of the hike in employers’ National Insurance introduced by then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves as well as the preservation of zero hours contracts. It states in its submission to the Treasury: “For family businesses, flexible hiring can create an entry point into employment. A restaurant owner who needs help on busy weekends may be willing to train an inexperienced local applicant for a small number of shifts. If trade grows, that person may gain more hours and eventually move into a regular role.”
John Longworth is a former director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Alongside VAT reforms, it is calling for loans for young entrepreneurs. “Britain should give young people a fair chance to turn skill and initiative into a business, whether or not their families can write the first cheque,” the IBN states.
Brendan Chilton, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “We believe that family-owned and family-run businesses must have a greater voice in public policy and can thrive outside the EU. One of the primary reasons for leaving the European Union was to ensure that we had the ability to create the most dynamic and competitive environment for businesses and start-ups. We also left the European Union so that we could embark on our own trade deals, securing advantages for British businesses, access to new markets and flexibility to help with the cost of living. We must not reverse that decision, and the Independent Business Network will fight for our sovereignty and for maintaining our independence outside the EU.”