UK Defends Green-Energy Push After Trump Says It’s ‘Suicidal’

September 23, 2025

President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 23.
President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 23.

(Bloomberg) — The UK government defended its green-energy push after Donald Trump scolded it for turning away from North Sea oil and gas in a speech at the United Nations in which he criticized many of America’s closest allies.

Trump, who visited the UK for a state visit just last week, denounced Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attempt to diversify from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

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“Both the immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe,” Trump told the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday morning, referring to the UK.

Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Bloomberg TV the president’s “opposition to wind power and his enthusiasm for fossil fuels is well known.”

“We are the duly elected government of the UK and we have a mandate for our mission,” Miliband said, referring to investments in renewables and nuclear power. The government’s policy on the North Sea is to not issue new exploration licenses.

UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband speaks to Bloomberg TV in New York.Source: Bloomberg
UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband speaks to Bloomberg TV in New York.Source: Bloomberg

“It’s all about tackling the climate crisis, yes, but it’s about having secure homegrown energy, renewables, nuclear so we aren’t reliant on petrostates and dictators for our energy,” Miliband said.

Though Trump said he respected and liked Starmer “a lot,” he said the government’s stance on climate and immigration was wrong more than once during his roughly hour-long speech.

“There’s tremendous oil that hasn’t been found in the North Sea,” Trump said. “They essentially closed it by making it so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company, can go there.”

President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 23.Photographer: David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg
President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 23.Photographer: David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg

London’s mayor — he didn’t mention Sadiq Khan by name — was “terrible, terrible,” Trump added, falsely claiming he’s introducing Sharia law to the capital.

Khan’s office said the mayor wouldn’t “dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.” The two have sparred for years.

Trump also slammed Germany over its green-energy policies, as well as Greece and Switzerland for allowing in immigrants. Brazil was cited for, in Trump’s opinion, its censorship and repression.

“Your countries are going to hell,” he said.

–With assistance from Alex Wickham, Alastair Marsh, Diasia Robinson, Anna Luk, Dave Warren and Kate Sullivan.

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