WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! The World Cup wrapped up over the weekend with Spain being crowned the champions as they defeated Argentina 1-0. 🇪🇸⚽🎉 If you’re already missing the matches, you won’t have to wait too long for the next championship, as the FIFA Women’s World Cup is scheduled to start next June. Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.Before Labour Party leader Andy Burnham was sworn in as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom this morning, he was already facing pressure from President Donald Trump to undo restrictions on drilling in the North Sea.
Sunday morning, Trump took to social media claiming that Burnham had stated that he would be “opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil.” And as a result, people were “dancing in the streets” of Aberdeen. However, Burnham has not publicly committed to any such thing. Quick reminder: In 2024, the Labour government committed to not permitting any new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea, as part of the country’s broader effort to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Since then, however, there has been an acknowledgement among ministers that fossil fuel production will continue to play a critical role in supporting local energy demand. Last summer, the U.K. government released new guidance related to environmental impact assessments for offshore oil and gas developers, and notably did not shun the fossil fuel industry. U.S. pressure: Trump has long pushed for the U.K. to reopen the North Sea to new drilling projects, describing the region as a “treasure chest” for energy resources. As Burnham has not made any public comment on his approach to the North Sea, Trump’s post to Truth Social yesterday could be an attempt to give the new prime minister a push, before he can get his footing. Over the weekend, some U.K. outlets were reporting that Burnham is prepared to announce new plans for oil and gas leasing, potentially giving approval for a pair of drilling licenses that have been caught up in court.Some pushback: Allies of the new prime minister denied that he will overhaul the ban on new licenses, with deputy party leader Lucy Powell telling the BBC that Burnham “has been clear he stands by the policies in our manifesto.” In today’s Washington Secrets (sign up here), the Examiner’s Rob Crilly reported that Burnham phoned Trump within an hour of taking office. Number 10 Downing Street did not reveal if drilling in the North Sea was one of the things the two leaders talked about. When asked for clarification on where Trump heard of Burnham’s commitment to open up the North Sea, the White House referred Daily on Energy to the president’s social media post from yesterday. U.S.-IRAN CONFLICT ESCALATES, PUSHING PRICES UP:
