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Andy Burnham and Donald Trump on course for first major row after phone call confusion

Donald Trump said he'd been given the impression Andy Burnham plans to "open up the North Sea" - but today the PM would only say he'd be 'pragmatic' about access to the oil field

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Donald Trump seems to have got the wrong end of the stick(Image: Aaron Schwartz - Pool via CNP/Shutterstock)

Andy Burnham and Donald Trump are on course for their first major row over their ideas for the future of North Sea oil and gas drilling.

On Wednesday, the US President said he'd been given the impression by the PM that he would "open up" the oil field - something Trump has been demanding for months.

But today Mr Burnham would only say he'd indicated to the President that he'd be "pragmatic" about North Sea drilling. "I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here.

"There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can't ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president," Mr Burnham said during a visit to Barrow in Cumbria on Thursday.

But the Mirror understands Burnham is likely to stick to Labour's manifesto pledge not to offer new licences to drill in the oil field, instead allowing "tie-backs" which would allow small-scale increases in drilling adjacent to already approved fields.

Trump last night seized upon the idea that Burnham is considering granting fresh licences - an issue the US President has long been vocal about - during a Q&A in the Oval Office.

Asked for his impressions of the new Prime Minister, Trump said: "He did say one good thing, he said he's going to open up the North Sea. If he does that, you're going to be a wealthy country, if he does that reasonably."

Why is Trump so obsessed with North Sea drilling?

On the surface, drilling in the North Sea would be advantageous for mitigating the impact of a ongoing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz - which, let's not forget, is entirely the fault of Donald Trump.

Another factor is that a lot of the firms who would be seeking the licences to do the actual drilling are American.

But the true genesis of Trump's push for North Sea Drilling is much more personal.

Back in 2012, Trump was embroiled in a legal battle with the Scottish government, who wanted to build 11 wind turbines off the coast of Aberdeenshire. Right next to one of his golf courses.

Trump, of course, objected, arguing they would be ugly and ruin the view from his luxury resort.

He appealed the plans through the Scottish courts right up to the UK Supreme Court...but lost, and the farm went ahead.

Trump has long linked his hatred for wind farms with his calls for oil drilling, particularly in the North Sea near his golf course. Last week, following his phone call with Burnham, he said more oil drilling in the region would allow the UK to "move the old and horrible looking windmills, which loom over and destroy the City of Aberdeen.

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