Trump praises Burnham over Jackdaw gas field approval

Summarised from 2 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 23 Oct, 18:58 · Archive

Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham for approving gas drilling in the North Sea's Jackdaw field. Speaking on Friday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Florida, Trump said he had discussed the matter with Burnham and that the decision would 'make the UK a very rich country'. He compared it to the previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying: 'The other prime minister, the previous man, Starmer. He's a very nice man, but he never got it done, and this one is getting it.'

The Jackdaw platform is located 150 miles east of Aberdeen and is operated by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian state energy firm Equinor. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh approved the decision earlier this week, saying it would 'support the country's energy security with homegrown gas this winter'. Ministers said the first gas could be produced by the end of October, and operators say it could produce gas for the next eleven years.

Trump appeared to confuse the project with oil drilling, repeatedly referring to 'opening up the North Sea oil' despite Jackdaw being a gas field. A separate decision on the Rosebank oil and gas field, located west of Shetland, remains pending. Burnham has said any decision on Rosebank will be 'done properly' in the face of 'almost certain legal challenges', while Fahnbulleh has said there is a 'tight' framework for the decision to avoid courts overturning it.

Based on official forecasts, Jackdaw has the potential to meet around 1.6 per cent of total projected national gas demand between 2026 and 2036. Environmental campaigners have called the Jackdaw decision 'deeply disappointing', warning it would result in 'supercharging the climate chaos'. They say it would make 'no meaningful difference' to UK energy security.

How it is being reported

• Trump says Burnham is 'getting it done' after Jackdaw decisionThe US president has praised Burnham after the government allowed gas drilling in the North Sea's Jackdaw field.BBC News · 23 Oct, 18:27
• Donald Trump says ‘Andy is getting it done’ as US president claims UK ‘opening up North Sea oil’‘Andy is getting it done, and I guess it’s against the liberal principle, but he knows what’s right. It’s going to make UK a very wealthy country’, the US president saidThe Independent · 23 Oct, 17:50
• ‘Andy is getting it done’, says Trump as he claims UK ‘opening up North Sea oil’The US president has welcomed the go-ahead for the Jackdaw gas field, but appeared to think the project would tap oil.Independent Business · 23 Oct, 17:12
• ‘Andy is getting it done’, says Trump as he claims UK ‘opening up North Sea oil’The US president has welcomed the go-ahead for the Jackdaw gas field, but appeared to think the project would tap oil.Independent Business · 23 Oct, 16:41

In this story: Donald Trump · Andy Burnham · Keir Starmer · Miatta Fahnbulleh · Shell · Equinor · North Sea · Aberdeen

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem