US President Donald Trump on Wednesday publicly urged the United Kingdom to expand oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, telling reporters at the White House that doing so would make Britain 'a really rich country' — while sharply criticising London's immigration and energy policies.

What Trump Said About North Sea Oil

Trump confirmed he had spoken with Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and expressed cautious optimism that policy could shift under the new leadership. 'Well, he did say one very good thing. He said he's going to open up North Sea oil,' Trump told reporters. 'If he does that, you're going to be a wealthy country, if he does it reasonably.'

Trump said he had previously pressed former Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the same issue, but to no avail. 'I was telling Prime Minister Starmer, open up the North Sea. Open it up, you'll be okay. Open it up,' he said, adding: 'I could not get Starmer to use it. It was incredible.'

He also said energy industry executives had independently lobbied him to push Britain on the matter. 'Every oil company that I meet... said, please, could you open up the North Sea.'

Trump's Critique of UK Energy Policy

Trump was pointed in his criticism of Britain's reliance on renewable energy, taking particular aim at wind power. 'He's got windmills all over the place, and anytime you see windmills, you see a failing country,' he said.

He argued that the UK was importing energy it could be producing domestically, citing Norway as a contrasting example. 'You buy a lot of your energy, as you know, from the North Sea. You buy it from Norway, and Norway gets it from the North Sea,' Trump said. 'Norway's got trillions of dollars in the bank, trillions.' He also singled out Scotland, calling its offshore reserves 'one of the most valuable oil finds anywhere in the world.'

Immigration Remarks

Trump also revisited immigration during exchanges with reporters, framing it as one of two core challenges facing the UK. 'They have a huge immigration problem, people coming from all over the world and just camping out in your country,' he said. He contrasted this with what he described as the success of US border enforcement. 'For 14 months, nobody has come into our country, zero, which is almost hard to believe, but that's what the report says,' Trump claimed — a statement that has not been independently verified.

He later said Europe more broadly was facing an 'invasion' of migrants from Africa, South America, and parts of Asia, calling the UK 'a prime suspect.'

Context and Background

The North Sea has been one of Europe's most significant offshore energy basins for decades, underpinning hydrocarbon production for both the UK and Norway. Britain's previous government under Starmer had moved to restrict new North Sea licences as part of a broader clean energy transition strategy, a decision that drew criticism from the domestic oil and gas industry. Trump's public intervention adds transatlantic political pressure at a moment when the new Burnham administration is still defining its energy posture. Whether Prime Minister Burnham follows through on what Trump described as a commitment remains to be seen. 'Let's see if that happens,' Trump himself acknowledged.