Britain’s incoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is expected to signal a major change in the UK’s energy policy on Monday by backing increased oil and gas production in the North Sea.
His decision follows repeated calls from President Donald Trump to “open up” Britain’s domestic energy reserves.
According to the BBC, Burnham will use his first day in Downing Street to announce plans aimed at accelerating North Sea oil and gas development after years of delays under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The announcement is expected to be one of several headline policy moves unveiled during Burnham’s first days in office.
While Burnham is expected to maintain Labour’s formal commitment against issuing entirely new drilling licenses, he is likely to pledge faster development of existing projects and signal support for expanding production from previously approved fields.
At the center of the debate are the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields, which were approved under the Conservative government before being halted following legal challenges in 2025.
Responsibility for moving those projects forward is now expected to fall to Burnham’s incoming energy secretary.
The apparent shift comes after years of criticism over Labour’s restrictive and climate-centered approach to North Sea production.
Trump was among Starmer’s most outspoken critics on the issue, repeatedly urging Britain to “open North Sea oil” and warning that the UK was failing to capitalize on its own natural resources.
🚨 WATCH: Donald Trump gives advice to Keir Starmer as 90 Labour MPs call for him to resign
“I’ve told him from day one… open up your oil in the North Sea and get tough on immigration” pic.twitter.com/dho95LUeDi
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 12, 2026
Shortly before Starmer resigned, Trump declared that the former prime minister had “failed badly” on energy and immigration policy.
🚨 BREAKING: Donald Trump says Keir Starmer will resign as PM after he “failed badly” on immigration and energy pic.twitter.com/Y2NmHNePYi
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 21, 2026
Rising energy prices during the conflict with Iran also intensified pressure on Starmer from opposition parties, which argued it was reckless for Britain to leave domestic oil and gas reserves undeveloped while relying more heavily on imports.
Burnham is expected to frame Monday’s announcement as a significant change in direction while remaining broadly within Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments.
The move has reportedly won support from the North Sea oil and gas industry as well as major trade unions, who recently urged Burnham to back domestic energy production.
He is also expected to unveil a wider package of domestic policies, including plans for council house construction, greater public control of water and energy companies, and measures aimed at easing pressure from the rising cost of living.
Burnham will formally become Britain’s Prime Minister on Monday.
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