Donald Trump has claimed he personally told Andy Burnham that Britain is on course to become “a very rich country” following the government’s decision to greenlight new North Sea oil and gas licences. The former US president made the assertion during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, framing the UK’s energy pivot as a validation of his own “drill, baby, drill” mantra.
The remarks, delivered to a cheering crowd in Erie on Saturday night, mark an unusual intervention by Trump into British domestic energy policy. They also raise immediate questions about when the conversation took place — and whether the Republican nominee was speaking to the Mayor of Greater Manchester or confusing him with the Prime Minister.
A transatlantic energy endorsement
Trump has long championed fossil fuel expansion as the cornerstone of economic nationalism. His latest rally saw him pivot from domestic inflation figures to the UK’s recent licensing round with characteristic speed.
“They’re opening up the North Sea,” Trump told supporters. “I told Andy Burnham — good guy, by the way — I said, ‘Andy, you’re going to be a very rich country. You have all that energy under the water. Use it.’ And they are. They’re using it.”
The former president offered no date for the alleged exchange. Burnham, a prominent Labour figure and former health secretary, has not held national office since 2015. He currently leads the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Downing Street declined to comment on whether Sir Keir Starmer — the actual Prime Minister — has spoken to Trump since taking office in July.
The North Sea context
The UK’s North Sea Transition Authority awarded 31 new production licences in October, the first tranche of a promised “maxing out” of domestic hydrocarbons. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has stressed the move is about energy security, not a reversal of net zero commitments. New fields will still face climate compatibility checkpoints.
Industry groups welcomed the clarity. Offshore Energies UK estimates the basin could support 200,000 jobs and £200bn in investment by 2035 if the regulatory environment remains stable. Critics argue the economics are shaky. The International Energy Agency says no new oil and gas fields are compatible with a 1.5°C pathway. Labour’s own manifesto pledged no new licences — a promise quietly shelved after the election.
Burnham’s position
The Greater Manchester mayor has been a vocal advocate for green industrial policy. His “Bee Network” transport overhaul and retrofitting programmes are flagship regional decarbonisation efforts. In 2023, he called for a “war footing” on home insulation, not expanded drilling.
Sources close to Burnham say he has not met Trump in any official capacity since the latter left the White House. A spokesperson for the mayor declined to confirm or deny a private conversation, saying only: “Andy speaks to a wide range of international figures about investment in Greater Manchester. He has been consistent that the path to prosperity runs through clean energy and modern manufacturing.”
Why it Matters
Trump’s claim — whether accurate, exaggerated, or entirely fabricated — signals how British energy decisions are being weaponised in the US culture war. A potential second Trump administration would likely pressure allies to prioritise fossil fuel production over climate targets, using the UK’s own licensing round as Exhibit A. For Labour, the episode underscores the diplomatic tightrope ahead: defending a pragmatic energy transition at home while fending off MAGA-world praise that undermines the government’s green credibility abroad.
