US President Donald Trump has expressed enthusiasm over reports that Andy Burnham, the incoming UK prime minister, might support new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Trump said people in the Scottish city of Aberdeen would be “dancing in the streets” if Burnham opens up the North Sea’s oil fields.

Burnham, known as the “King of the North” for his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester in northwestern England, has not confirmed reports that he is considering approving new fossil fuel production, particularly in the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump claimed Burnham had said he would proceed with opening the North Sea oil resources. Trump stated, “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!”

A vocal supporter of fossil fuels, Trump added that further drilling in the North Sea would transform the United Kingdom “from a Poverty Stricken setback, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World.” He also criticized wind power, suggesting the UK would remove “old and horrible looking windmills, which loom over and destroy the City of Aberdeen.”

However, it remains unconfirmed whether Burnham will officially back new fossil fuel projects.

Sources