Donald Trump has said Keir Starmer is ‘windmilling the UK to death’ as he weighed in on the prime minister’s future.
Tuesday saw dozens of Labour MPs call on Starmer to step down as prime minister, as his future as Labour leader comes under pressure.
Later in the day, US president Trump was asked if he had any advice for Starmer.
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The president replied: “My advice to him has always been open up your oil in the North Sea.
“You’ve got one of the great oil finds anywhere in the world and you’re not using it, you’re not allowed to use it.”
He also said the PM needs to “get tough on immigration.”
Trump went on to say it was “up to him [Starmer]” if he leaves or stays as prime minister,” before adding: “But I’ve told him from day one, you’re getting killed on energy, you’re windmilling your country to death.”
North Sea oil has become a lightning rod for climate change sceptics and net zero critics such as Trump and his friends at Reform here in Britain.
However, the idea that drilling for more oil in the North Sea would solve the country’s energy issues has been widely debunked by experts.
Research from the University of Oxford this year found that if the UK was powered entirely by clean energy, households could save as much as £441 annually on their energy bills.
Conversely, maximising oil and gas extraction from the North Sea would only save between £16 and £82 annually per household.
Former military leaders have also debunked the argument from Reform and the Tories that more North Sea drilling is the solution.