Andy Burnham has confirmed he told Donald Trump he would take 'a pragmatic approach' to the North Sea, after the US president claimed the incoming prime minister promised to open up North Sea oil drilling 'all the way' (BBC News).

Burnham, who became prime minister on 30 July 2026, disclosed the conversation in response to press questions reported by BBC News. He said the phone call with Trump had taken place 'a week last Monday' — that is, on 20 July.

Trump had posted on Truth Social the day before Burnham entered No 10: 'The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!' When asked about his conversation with Burnham, Trump told press: 'He said he's going to open up North Sea oil. If he does that, you're going to be a wealthy country' (BBC News).

The Daily Telegraph had reported Trump's claim on 29 July that Burnham promised to open up North Sea oil drilling (Daily Telegraph).

BBC News reported on 18 July, based on sources, that Burnham would announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea after becoming prime minister. BBC Radio 4's PM programme aired a segment the same day covering the plans. The BBC had been examining Burnham's stance since mid-July, noting on 14 July that Trump 'constantly advocates more drilling in the North Sea', and reporting on 13 July that US administration officials had expressed interest in North Sea oil.

The drilling debate centres on two oil and gas fields off Scotland — Rosebank and Jackdaw. Regulators approved drilling at both sites in 2022 and 2023, but those approvals were overturned in 2025 following a legal challenge. The previous government under Sir Keir Starmer had already made concessions allowing 'tie-backs' — production in unlicensed areas close to or connected to already licensed areas.

The Conservatives and Reform UK have urged the government to approve more drilling, arguing it would reduce energy prices. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch previously said it would be 'absurd' for the UK to leave 'vital resources untapped'.

Simon Francis, of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said no household struggling with energy bills would 'see a penny come off by drilling more from the North Sea' because gas is sold at global market prices.

The stance has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Green Party leader Zack Polanski said it would 'worsen the climate breakdown putting more lives at risk'. Labour MP Rachael Maskell urged the government to 'follow the climate science because we have got a climate emergency'.

The broader context here is a policy landscape that has shifted significantly over the past 18 months. The 2025 court rulings that overturned the Rosebank and Jackdaw approvals created a legal and regulatory vacuum that any incoming administration would have to address. Starmer's government had already moved away from a blanket prohibition by permitting tie-backs, and Burnham's 'pragmatic approach' language suggests a continuation of that trajectory rather than a sharp departure.

What remains unresolved is the gap between Trump's enthusiastic interpretation — 'opening up, all the way' — and Burnham's carefully chosen formulation. The prime minister's word 'pragmatic' is deliberately capacious: it can accommodate tie-backs and incremental licensing decisions without committing to a full-scale reopening of exploration. Whether that distinction holds under sustained pressure from both Washington and the Conservative opposition is the question Westminster watchers will be tracking.

The devolved dimension adds further complexity. Rosebank and Jackdaw are located in Scottish waters, meaning the Scottish Government and Holyrood will have a stake in how any new licensing regime is communicated and contested. The SNP's position on North Sea extraction — traditionally more restrictive than Westminster's — will be tested if Burnham moves from rhetoric to concrete licensing announcements.

For the energy sector, the signal matters as much as the substance. Operators have been in regulatory limbo since the 2025 rulings overturned approvals that took years to secure. A prime ministerial commitment to a 'pragmatic approach', even one hedged by caveats, provides the kind of political clarity that investment decisions require. Whether it translates into lower household bills, as the Conservatives and Reform contend, or leaves them unchanged, as the End Fuel Poverty Coalition argues, will depend on global gas prices rather than domestic policy.