'No more windmills!’: Why Trump’s call for North Sea oil is misguided

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · Apr 18, 2026 · 770 words · By Liam Gilliver

Energy security UK-US Political Relations Renewables vs Fossil Fuels

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What to know about Energy security

Donald Trump’s latest attack on renewables has reignited calls to drill the North Sea for oil – despite research showing it won’t lower energy bills.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Donald Trump’s latest attack on renewables has reignited calls to drill the North Sea for oil – despite research showing it won’t lower energy bills.

Why it matters

Donald Trump has unleashed his latest attack on renewables, branding the UK “crazy” for not boosting oil extraction in the North Sea.

Common ground

The British government ended exploration licences last year, meaning companies can no longer get permission to search for new oil and gas reserves in untapped areas.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Energy security story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the Rosebank field... would displace only around one per cent of the UK’s gas imports?
How does this story connect Energy security with UK-US Political Relations over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/18/trump-brands-uk-crazy-for-not-drilling-the-n…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

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Claim 1: “the Rosebank field... would displace only around one per cent of the UK’s gas imports”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found for this claim.

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Claim 2: “Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz... carries around one fifth of global oil supplies”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle, confirm that approximately one-fifth (20%) of global oil and gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Wikipedia also identifies it as a major maritime choke point.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kingdom of Hormuz (also known as Hormoz or, archaically, Ormus; Persian: هرمز; Portuguese: Ormuz) was a kingdom ruled by a dynasty of southern Arab origin. It was located in the eastern side of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hormuz

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz

+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “maximising oil and gas extraction from the North Sea would only save households £16 (€19) to £82 (€95) per year”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “93 per cent of the oil and gas that is likely to be produced from the North Sea has already been extracted”

SINGLE SOURCE

No evidence was found in the provided results that confirms the specific percentage (93%) of oil and gas already extracted from the North Sea.

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web search NEUTRAL — Using North Sea gas saved Britain billions last year, analysis shows amid calls for more drilling. Last week the government denied that Ed Miliband is expected to give the green light to the first maj…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/north-sea-gas-ir…

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web search NEUTRAL — That is why I am calling time on this unilateral act of economic disarmament and Labour’s impossible ideology of net zero by 2050. “So, a future Conservative government will scrap all mandates for the…
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/30/tories-woul…

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web search NEUTRAL — Oil Rig Accidents Compilation00:00 Intro00:22 Story 1 Piper Alpha15:29 Story 2 Ocean Ranger30:53 Story 3 Deepwater Horizon53:26 Story 4 Alexander Kielland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr4HDXzqx8M

verified

Claim 5: “The UK has already extracted around 4.1 billion tonnes of oil since 1975”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provides general information about the North Sea and the UK, but does not contain the specific figure of 4.1 billion tonnes of oil extracted since 1975.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of oil and gas fields of the North Sea contains links to oil and natural gas reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In terms of the oil industry, "North Sea oil" often refers to a larger geograph…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_and_gas_fields_of_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_oil

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Last month (26 March) British wind energy generation also hit a new high of 23,880 megawatts”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Renewables generated a record 52.5 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 2025”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “10 European countries – including the UK – pledged €9.5 billion for a landmark commitment to deliver 100GW of joint offshore wind projects across shared North Sea waters by 2050”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “The Jackdaw field... would displace just two per cent of the UK’s current import of gas”

CORROBORATED

The claim is reported by The Guardian and corroborated by other web search results stating that the Jackdaw field would displace only 2% of the UK's current gas imports.

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web search NEUTRAL — On average, the field would reduce the UK’s gas import dependency by roughly 1%. Critics argue the project is therefore driven by commercial returns rather than national energy security.
https://aseannow.com/topic/1391526-north-sea-drilling-would-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Jackdaw field, one of the largest unexploited gasfields in the North Sea, would displace only 2% of the UK’s current imports of gas, which would leave the UK still almost entirely dependent on sup…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/04/new-nort…

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web search NEUTRAL — “The Jackdaw field, one of the largest unexploited gasfields in the North Sea, would displace only 2% of the UK’s current imports of gas”. INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
https://efinder.lk/news/article/new-north-sea-drilling-would…

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 10: “the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the war on Iran will hit the UK hardest of all the world’s advanced economies due to how much energy it imports”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general information about the IMF and Iran, but no specific forecast stating that a war on Iran would hit the UK hardest among advanced economies.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations, headquartered in Washington, D.C. It consists of 191 member countries, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran and the International Monetary Fund have been in partnership since 1945. Iran has gone to the IMF on only two occasions, both before the 1979 revolution of Iran.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_the_International_Mon…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 11: “Trump wrote earlier this week on his social media platform Truth Social... 'Norway sells its North Sea Oil to the UK at double the price'”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While there is evidence that Trump has criticized UK fossil fuel policy and windmills, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming the exact quote regarding Norway selling oil to the UK at double the price.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trumpism is the political ideology behind Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and his political base. It is often used in close conjunction with the Make America Great Agai…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpism

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Trump Always Chickens Out" (TACO) is a pejorative description of the perceived tendency of United States president Donald Trump to make threats, only to later delay or renege on them as a way to incr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Always_Chickens_Out

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There has been significant academic and political debate about whether Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, can be considered a fascist according to consensus definitions of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_fascism

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “An analysis from the University of Oxford found that a UK fully powered by renewable energy could save households up to £441 (€510) a year on their energy bills”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 13: “the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) projecting a further 218 million tonnes will be collected by 2050 from existing fields”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for 'NSTA' returned the 'National Science Teaching Association' instead of the 'North Sea Transition Authority', providing no relevant data on oil extraction projections.

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web search NEUTRAL — The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 (as the National Science Teachers Association) and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is an association of science teachers in the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Teaching_Asso…

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web search NEUTRAL — Membership in NSTA is one of the best professional development investments you can make. Join 35,000 dedicated teachers, science supervisors, administrators, informal educators, home educators, scient…
https://www.nsta.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — 9,946 Followers, 303 Following, 1,422 Posts - National Science Teaching Assn (@official_nsta) on Instagram: "#NSTA promotes excellence and innovation in science teaching for all."
https://www.instagram.com/official_nsta/

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Claim 14: “The British government ended exploration licences last year”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The evidence directly contradicts the claim. One web search result explicitly states that 'a further 113 licences for exploration [were] issued last year', and another mentions Rishi Sunak's government granting 'hundreds of new oil and gas licenses'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Greenpeace activists protest against new oil and gas exploration in Denmark’s Dan oilfield in the North Sea last summer.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/06/uk-urged…

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web search NEUTRAL — LONDON — The U.K. will grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses for the North Sea as Rishi Sunak's government continues to lean on fossil fuels as part of its energy strategy.
https://www.politico.eu/article/rishi-sunak-oil-gas-licenses…

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web search NEUTRAL — Almost 20 new oil and gas fields have been approved for production since 2018, with a further 113 licences for exploration issued last year, all while the UK government proudly claimed the mantle of c…
https://novaramedia.com/2021/12/10/cambo-has-been-halted-but…

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Claim 15: “According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU)... new drilling could only yield a further 74 million tonnes, equivalent to 1.7 per cent of the total that could be extracted from 1975 to 2050”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms the ECIU has advised against additional gas extraction, but does not provide the specific figures (74 million tonnes or 1.7%) mentioned in the claim.

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web search NEUTRAL — Three ECIU researchers collaborating over workshop materials at university forum event. ECIU workshop participants brainstorming with sticky notes during collaborative ideation exercise.
https://www.eciu.eu/

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web search NEUTRAL — In 2022, unlisted countries contributed a combined total of 64.9 million tonnes of oil to global production. Crude oil production is defined as the quantity of crude oil (measured in barrels) that a c…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/oil-produ…

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web search NEUTRAL — Last week the government denied that Ed Miliband is expected to give the green light to the first major North Sea field project in almost 10 years.However, the ECIU has advised against additional gas …
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/north-sea-gas-ir…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.