Trump's son demands Starmer does one thing to prevent UK 'killing itself'

One of Donald Trump's children says Britain needs to exploit its energy potential, as costs are "killing" the country. Eric Trump is the US President's second son and Executive Vice President of The Trump Organisation, which is privately owned by his dad.

Eric, 41, a passionate advocate for his father's policies and echoing his talking points, sat down with The Telegraph for a wide-ranging chat as he promotes his new book, Under Siege: My Family's Fight to Save Our Nation. At one point, the businessman, whose grandmother hailed from Scotland, gave his thoughts on the state of Britain, saying: "I know everyone in that country. I know your PM... I just feel like the UK is in my soul. It's in my DNA."

But he claimed the UK is "losing the race in so many ways" and complained about the struggles of getting permission for building greens at The Trump Organisation's golf courses on this side of the pond.

Eric also suggested Britain isn't making the most of its energy potential, saying: "You've got more energy than just about anybody in the world and it's not being utilised, and it's crippling your society."

He told the newspaper he prays Britain "can start exploiting energy again, that you can bring down your energy costs, which are just killing your nation".

Conservative figures in both the US and the UK have often called for Britain to intensify oil and gas extraction, particularly in the North Sea, despite its reserves being in long-term decline.

During Donald Trump's state visit to the UK earlier this year, he said of the PM, Sir Keir Starmer: "I think he has to open up the North Sea. They have some of the best oil in the world, and they have a lot of it.

"They have a lot of it and they made it impossible for people to drill," he added during the interview with Fox News. "I think that's what causes their energy ... they have a big energy problem here with the pricing."

Experts say Britain's high energy costs are driven by the price of natural gas, used in Britain for our heating and power plants, rather than a failure to fully exploit reserves.

Gas prices increased dramatically following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and high energy costs are a problem across Europe.

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "The truth is the North Sea is running out of gas - we have burned most of it. By 2027, it will no longer produce enough to heat our homes, and only 14% of its original reserves will remain commercially viable.

"No amount of bluster about drilling or fracking will bring back cheap gas; all it does is lock households into more reliance on volatile global gas markets.

"The UK is leading the way and showing the world that scaling up renewables and upgrading homes is the fastest, cheapest route to lower bills and lasting energy security."

The UK's Department for Energy Security & Net Zero has been approached for comment.