Trump attacks UK over climate policies and high taxes on North Sea oil and gas
US president also says Europe is being “invaded” by “illegal aliens” and claims London wants to “go to sharia law”
Donald Trump used an address to the United Nations to attack the UK government over North Sea energy in a wide-ranging speech that also criticised climate and borders policies.
The US president claimed the UK and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had “given up their powerful edge” by making North Sea oil “so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company can go there”.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, he said: “They have tremendous oil left and, more importantly, they have tremendous oil that hasn’t even been found yet.
“And what a tremendous asset for the United Kingdom, and I hope the Prime Minister’s listening because I told it to him three days in a row – that’s all he heard.
“‘North Sea oil, North Sea’.”
Mr Trump also attacked the UK’s green energy policies, saying: “I want to stop seeing them ruining that beautiful Scottish and English countryside with windmills and massive solar panels that go seven miles by seven miles, taking away farmland.”
Mr Trump also claimed London wants to “go to sharia law” as he said Europe was being “invaded” by “illegal aliens”.
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Renewing his feud with the mayor of London, the president described Sir Sadiq Khan as a “terrible, terrible mayor”.
And he attacked UN assistance for asylum seekers, saying the organisation was “funding an assault on western countries and their borders”.
Mr Trump said: “Europe is in serious trouble. They have been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.
“Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe and nobody’s doing anything to change it.”
He added: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed.
“Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said: “We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.
“London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we’re delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”
Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Sir Sadiq since 2015, when the Labour politician condemned the then presidential hopeful’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US.
During last week’s state visit, the president said Sir Sadiq was “among the worst mayors in the world” and claimed he had asked that the mayor not attend events during the visit.
Sir Sadiq said he was “indifferent to President Trump” and had “more important things to worry about”.
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