Overview

• During a joint press conference at Chequers, the US president pressed the UK to expand North Sea oil and gas production, calling the basin a “great asset.”
• He derided wind power as “a disaster” and “a very expensive joke,” claiming his drilling-first push in the US lowered fuel prices and inflation.
• Starmer said he is “absolutely determined” to cut bills and described a long-term “mix” that includes continued North Sea oil and gas alongside renewables.
• The Labour government’s position remains unchanged with a permanent fracking ban and a vow not to issue new North Sea oil and gas licences, aligned with its net-zero agenda.
• The debate is sharpened by high UK energy costs, with official data showing industrial prices far above the US and analysts pointing to taxes and lower North Sea production.