'Use your own': US ambassador urges Britain to ramp up North Sea drilling to bolster economy and slash bills
"I want the UK economy to be as strong as it possibly can be, so the UK can be the best ally to the US that it possibly can be," the Trump ally said.
Britain must carry out "more drilling and more production" in the North Sea to bolster the economy and slash bills, the US’ ambassador to the UK has said.
Listen to this article
Warren Stephens called on the UK to stop relying on expensive imports of foreign oil and gas and instead access its own reserves.
He claimed the move could help slash energy costs at a time of sky high bills.
“Why not use your own?” he said.
He added that industry bosses are “worried about their workforce because right now they don’t have enough work for their workers.”
"I want the UK economy to be as strong as it possibly can be, so the UK can be the best ally to the US that it possibly can be.
"Having a growing economy is essential to that - and the electricity costs make it very difficult," Mr Stephens told Sky News.
Read more: Trump urges Starmer to ‘drill, baby, drill’ in the North Sea to cut energy bills
Read more: Thousands of Scottish jobs at risk as oil giant Petrofac files for administration
Mr Stephens, a close Donald Trump ally, added that he has held meetings with Sir Keir Starmer with the US President in the room, claiming the prime minister was "absolutely" listening to the US perspective.
He said: "I think there are members of the government that are listening.
"There is a little bit of movement to make changes on the policy and I'll hope that will continue."
It comes after David Whitehouse, chief executive of the industry body Offshore Energies UK, said there was "an important message that the UK should produce its own oil and gas".
He said that estimates suggest the UK will need between 10 billion and 15 billion barrels of oil and gas between now and 2050 - the target date for the country to reach net zero.
The Government has pledged to deliver clean power to the UK by 2030, claiming this is “how we deliver a system that brings down bills for consumers and protects them against future energy shocks”.
This would see almost all of Britain’s electricity coming from clean sources such as renewables and nuclear by the end of the decade, as part of efforts to secure energy supplies, curb bills and tackle climate change.
But the agenda has faced significant push-back from the Conservatives and Reform UK, who have pledged to ditch “expensive” net zero policies and the Climate Change Act under which targets to cut emissions to zero overall by 2050 are set, and maximise extraction of oil and gas from the North Sea.
Last week, Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to make North Sea oil and gas the 'cornerstone' of Britain's economy if her party wins the next election.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the remarks made clear that the Tories had "learnt nothing" from their electoral defeat and warned the "failed energy policy" would "hurt the pockets of working people".
"The Conservatives and Reform UK peddle the same failed energy policy that hurt the pockets of working people, they deny the reality of the energy transition and they would deny Britain the jobs of the future, including for workers in the North Sea in carbon capture, hydrogen and offshore wind," he said.
"It is this Labour Government that will ensure a prosperous transition in the North Sea through our plan for change by keeping existing oil and gas fields open for their lifetime and through a clean energy sprint for the future.
"That is what it means to do right by today's and future generations."