DONALD Trump has hit out at the Labour Government’s energy policy when it comes to North Sea oil and gas.
The US president-elect said the UK was making “a very big mistake” by retreating from oil and gas and urged Keir Starmer to “open up” the North Sea and “get rid of windmills”.
Labour have pledged to prioritise clean power with the goal of doubling onshore wind, tripling solar power, and quadrupling offshore wind by 2030.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced in the Budget last year that she would increase the windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers from 35% to 38%, and extend the levy by a year.
This led to several North Sea producers warning it could lead to a sharp drop in investments.
For example, Trump’s post was in reaction to the news that US oil and gas producer APA Corp's unit Apache is planning to exit the North Sea by the end of 2029.
The president-elect is much more gung-ho in his approach to oil and gas – promising to “drill, baby, drill” and expand production when he enters the White House for the second time later this month.
His son, Eric Trump – who runs the daily operations of the Trump business – also hit out at the "mistreatment" of Aberdeen's oil and gas industry in November.
Meanwhile, Uplift UK, an environmentalist group which supports efforts to transition from oil and gas production in the UK, hit out at Trump's comments.
Tessa Khan, the group’s executive director, called them “ill-informed”.
“The UK, and Scotland in particular, boasts some of the best wind resources in the world, which will provide us with energy security as the North Sea oil and gas basin declines,” she said.
“Ill-informed attacks on the UK's efforts to become a clean energy superpower will not change reality - the nation has burnt most of its gas, and what’s left of our oil is mainly exported.”
Khan added: "Trump is clearly looking after the interests of US oil and gas firms who have made billions during the recent energy crisis, while millions of households in the UK have struggled with soaring bills because of volatile gas prices.
"His team is shot through with oil and gas interests that want the rest of the world, the UK included, to slow its transition to clean energy and remain hooked on oil and gas for years to come just so they can keep profiting.
"For the UK to be free from fossil fuel politics, it must take advantage of the immense opportunities at its fingertips in wind power, which offers a long-term solution to energy security and job creation, and continue to tax the energy giants who have driven millions into fuel poverty accordingly."
