Trump Tells UK’s Starmer North Sea Oil Taxes Are Too High
Donald Trump and Keir Starmer in Balmedie, Scotland, on July 28.
Photographer: Jane Barlow/WPA/Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump urged Keir Starmer to extract more oil from the North Sea and criticized UK taxes on fossil fuels in his latest attack on the prime minister’s policies during a five-day visit to Scotland.
As the UK shifts to greener energy such as renewables and nuclear, and away from fossil fuels, Starmer’s Labour government has said it won’t issue new licenses for North Sea oil and gas extraction, though it will honor existing ones. Last year, Labour upped a windfall tax on oil and gas producers to 38% from 35%, bringing total taxation of the industry to 78%.