Overview
- At a joint Chequers press conference on 18 September, President Trump told the UK to "drill, baby, drill" and dismissed wind power as "a very expensive joke."
- Sir Keir Starmer said he aims to lower household and business costs through a pragmatic energy mix that includes ongoing North Sea output together with renewables.
- Current UK policy commits to net zero by 2050, a 2030 decarbonised power grid, a permanent fracking ban, and no new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed extracting more resources, while groups such as Uplift and the End Fuel Poverty Coalition argued new drilling would not cut bills due to declining reserves and global pricing.
- Trump repeated his call in a Fox News interview and linked greater North Sea production to reducing Russia’s energy revenues.