Andy Burnham is expected to greenlight expanded North Sea oil and gas drilling as he takes over from Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, marking a significant shift in the government's energy policy. The move would represent a break from previous Labour positioning on North Sea extraction and comes amid a broader reshuffle of Downing Street leadership that has left the public sceptical, according to a Daily Mail exclusive poll.

The change in direction has drawn commentary from Donald Trump, who praised the prospect of renewed North Sea drilling while separately describing the UK as a "poverty-stricken disaster." The article's detail is thin beyond the headline announcement, but it frames the drilling decision as one of the new Prime Minister's first major policy moves upon entering office.