The US president said in a Truth Social post that Mr Burnham, who has not confirmed the reports, would 'be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!'.

It comes after fierce debate over the future of two oil and gas fields in Scotland - Rosebank and Jackdaw - where licences were approved in 2022 and 2023 before being overturned…

The starting gun for Andy Burnham's number 10 has apparently been fired with reports that new oil and gas will be allowed in the North Sea.