London — Trump Praises Burnham After Jackdaw Gas Field Approval

President Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday for approving production at the North Sea's Jackdaw gas field, saying the decision would "make the UK a very rich country," according to the BBC.

Trump told reporters he had spoken with Burnham about the move. He contrasted it with the record of a predecessor, 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."

What did Burnham approve?

Burnham announced the decision earlier this week to allow drilling at Jackdaw, a gas field 150 miles east of Aberdeen, the BBC reported. The field is operated by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian state energy firm Equinor.

Government ministers said first gas could flow by the end of October, with the field helping heat millions of homes. They also announced a new energy wealth fund tied to the approval.

Operators told the BBC that Jackdaw could connect to the national gas network within weeks and produce gas for roughly 11 years.

How much gas will Jackdaw actually supply?

Based on official forecasts for UK gas demand, Jackdaw has the potential to meet about 1.6% of total projected national gas demand between 2026 and 2036, according to the BBC's analysis of those figures.

Environmental campaigners say that share is too small to matter. They argue the field will make "no meaningful difference" to UK energy security, the BBC reported.

Did Trump get the details right?

Trump's public remarks conflated oil and gas. "They're opening up the North Sea oil. I've been after them to do that for two years," he said, even though Jackdaw is a gas field, not an oil field.

He added: "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."

Earlier in the week, writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump had urged the UK to go "full blast" and called the North Sea "one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of oil in the world." He also said Wednesday that the Jackdaw decision was "great news for the wealth and prosperity" of the UK.

Who opposes the decision?

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Burnham of "dithering" on Jackdaw and said the UK should repeal its ban on new oil and gas licenses, according to the BBC.

Burnham pushed back, saying Badenoch's party had "messed up" the original decision-making process by failing to give adequate weight to climate obligations. Those obligations, he said, "have to be considered in the round."

Greenpeace co-executive director Areeba Hamid called the approval "the wrong decision," the BBC reported.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said gas from Jackdaw would reach homes and businesses this month but would not lower energy bills this winter. She said the decision was "compatible" with the UK's legally binding climate commitments. "We remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050," Fahnbulleh said.

What happens next on Rosebank?

A separate decision remains pending on Rosebank, the UK's largest known untapped oil field, located off Shetland in the North Atlantic, according to the BBC. The Jackdaw approval does not resolve that question, and officials have not set a timeline for a Rosebank ruling.

The Jackdaw decision followed years of legal challenges and intense debate over its environmental and economic impact, the BBC reported. It came alongside the government's announcement of the new energy wealth fund, though officials have not detailed how that fund will be structured or who will benefit from it.

For now, the dispute centers on two competing claims: ministers and Trump framing the approval as an economic win, and campaigners and opposition figures arguing it falls short — either because it does too little for energy security, in Greenpeace's view, or because it took too long and leaves the broader licensing ban in place, in Badenoch's.