Trump praises Burnham for approving gas production at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea

The key facts

Burnham approved production at Jackdaw; first gas deliveries possible by the end of the month
Trump praised the decision and criticised Starmer for inaction
Environmentalists (Greenpeace, Oxfam) called the decision a mistake; the government insists on compatibility with net zero by 2050

Jackdaw approval and Trump's reaction

US President Donald Trump praised UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the government's decision to approve production at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. According to Trump, he spoke with Burnham, and the decision will 'make the UK a very rich country'. He contrasted Burnham with the former prime minister: 'That prime minister, the previous guy, Starmer. He's a very nice man, but he never did it, and this one is doing it.' Trump also, according to the BBC, apparently confused oil and gas, saying: 'They're opening up North Sea oil. I've been pushing this for two years.' Earlier, on Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the decision was 'great news for the wealth and prosperity' of the UK, urging the country to act 'at full throttle' and calling the North Sea 'one of the greatest and most prosperous oil districts in the world'.

Project details

Burnham announced the approval of drilling at Jackdaw earlier this week. The field is located 150 miles (241 km) east of Aberdeen, and the operator is Adura — a joint venture of Shell and the Norwegian state-owned Equinor. Ministers said the first gas could be produced by the end of the month, which will help heat millions of homes, and also announced the creation of a new energy wealth fund. According to official forecasts of the UK's gas needs for the coming decade, Jackdaw could cover about 1.6% of total projected demand from 2026 to 2036. The operators claim the field could be connected to the gas grid within weeks and produce gas for 11 years. The decision was made after years of litigation and was accompanied by heated debates about its environmental and economic impact.

Political disputes

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of 'dithering' over Jackdaw and called for lifting the ban on new oil and gas licences. Burnham responded by saying that her party had 'botched' the original decision by failing to take into account climate commitments, which, according to him, 'need to be considered in the aggregate'. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulle said gas from Jackdaw will reach homes and businesses this month but will not lower energy bills this winter. According to her, the decision is 'compatible' with legally binding climate commitments: 'We are unwavering in ending the issuance of new oil and gas licences and achieving net zero by 2050'.

Environmentalists' criticism and the fate of Rosebank

Environmental groups criticised the approval. Greenpeace co-head Ariba Hamid called it 'the wrong decision' in terms of lowering energy bills, energy security and fighting climate change. Oxfam said the government had 'drilled straight through the UK's climate commitments'. The decision to begin production at Rosebank — the largest known undeveloped oil field in the UK off the coast of the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic — has not yet been made.