DONALD Trump’s claim that North Sea oil is a “treasure chest for the UK” has been dismissed as “pure fantasy”.
The US president posted a rant to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday demanding tax cuts for fossil fuel giants.
He wrote: “North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, ‘we don’t want you’.
“Incentivize the drillers, fast. A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people!”
He also railed against wind turbines calling them “ugly monsters” earlier in his five-day trip to Scotland.
Trump’s claims have been rubbished by climate campaigners who say the president did not understand the realities of the oil and gas industry in the North Sea.
Tessa Khan, the executive director of pressure group Uplift, said: “Donald Trump’s knowledge of the [[North Sea]] is clearly limited to his view from his golf course. His demand for more drilling is pure fantasy – it will do nothing to provide us with an affordable supply of energy.
“New drilling won’t cut bills and, after 50 years of extraction, the basin is fast running out of gas – that’s geology not a political choice.
"The reason the UK’s energy bills are high is because of our reliance on expensive gas – and the way to reduce them is to shift to homegrown renewable energy, offshore wind in particular, which the UK is lucky to have in abundance. Why on Earth would Scotland forego some of the best wind resources on the planet and abandon an industry that is vital to replacing declining oil and gas jobs?”
She accused Trump of being “cheerleader-in-chief for an oil and gas industry that has made obscene profits while millions of people here have struggled with unaffordable energy bills” as the effects of the climate crisis became ever more visible.
Khan added: “Already Scotland is struggling with record wildfires, drought, and flooding – let’s not make this worse for ourselves or our children by following the advice of someone who is in denial of the science.
“Let him play his golf, but let’s not listen to him when it comes to how we power our country.”
