Andy Burnham says he will take a pragmatic approach to North Sea oil after telling Donald Trump there is a resource there and energy costs matter.
North Sea oil is emerging as an early test for Andy Burnham, after the new prime minister said he told Donald Trump he would take a pragmatic approach to the issue. Burnham said the North Sea contains a resource that cannot be ignored when people are struggling, a remark that has fueled fresh debate over drilling, existing licences and Britain’s energy prices.
Trump has long pushed the UK to increase North Sea drilling, and he has claimed Burnham promised to open up the basin during their first phone call. Burnham did not go that far, but he confirmed he raised the issue with the president and said he wanted to be realistic about it. Asked about the call, Burnham said he had told Trump there is a resource there and that his intention was to move forward in a pragmatic way.
The row lands squarely in the middle of Labour’s own election promises. In the party’s 2024 general election manifesto, Labour said it would not issue new drilling licences, while still honoring existing ones. That position was strongly backed by Ed Miliband when he was energy secretary under Sir Keir Starmer. Miliband, who is now foreign secretary in Burnham’s government, had previously described the Rosebank licence as climate vandalism.
But Burnham is under pressure from several directions. Trade unions, industry figures and some Labour MPs want more support for North Sea production. On the other side, the Green Party is warning that any move to expand drilling would deepen climate damage. Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the country is burning, crops are failing and thousands have been killed by extreme heat, and argued that new drilling would worsen climate breakdown and harm the economy.
“Andy Burnham says he will take a pragmatic approach to North Sea oil after telling Donald Trump there is a resource there and energy costs matter.”
Trump has already seized on what he sees as a shift. In a social media post published the day before Burnham became prime minister, he said people in Aberdeen were dancing in the streets because Burnham had said he would be opening up North Sea oil. This week, Trump repeated that view, saying Burnham had told him he was going to open up North Sea oil and adding that the UK buys energy from the North Sea through Norway as well. Burnham has not confirmed Trump’s fuller version of the conversation.
The debate is also tied to the question of what drilling would mean for household bills, a point on which supporters and critics sharply disagree. The Conservatives and Reform want more drilling, saying it would cut energy prices. Kemi Badenoch called it absurd for the UK to leave vital resources untapped. But Simon Francis of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said households would not see lower bills from more North Sea production because gas is sold at global market prices and goes to the highest bidder rather than being handed to British billpayers at a discount.
There is already a policy path in place that gives Burnham room to maneuver. Sir Keir Starmer’s government had allowed tie-backs, meaning production in unlicensed areas close to or connected to already licensed fields. The wider fight has largely centered on Rosebank and Jackdaw, two oil and gas fields in Scotland. Regulators approved drilling there in 2022 and 2023, but that decision was overturned in 2025 after a legal challenge. The legal process is still underway, and the government will eventually have to decide whether to allow production to go ahead.
For Burnham, the issue now sits at the intersection of energy security, climate politics and party discipline. He could still choose to press ahead with existing licences only, or take a more expansive line by changing tax policy as well, including the Energy Profits Levy. For American readers, the story shows how energy prices, climate pressure and political promises can collide fast, and the next move on North Sea oil will reveal whether Burnham’s pragmatism becomes policy or stays only rhetoric.
Frequently asked questions
What did Burnham say about North Sea oil in his call with Trump?
Burnham said he told Trump there is a resource there and that he intended to move forward in a pragmatic way. He did not confirm Trump’s claim that he promised to open up the basin.
What is Labour’s current policy on North Sea drilling?
Labour’s 2024 manifesto said it would not issue new drilling licences, while still honoring existing ones. That position had also been strongly backed by Ed Miliband.
Why is North Sea oil politically difficult for Burnham?
He is being pushed by trade unions, industry figures and some Labour MPs to support more production, while the Green Party is warning that expansion would worsen climate damage.
Would more North Sea drilling lower household energy bills?
Supporters say it would, but Simon Francis of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition argued it would not. He said gas is sold at global market prices and goes to the highest bidder rather than being discounted for British households.
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