North Sea industry leaders may be uncomfortable to find Donald Trump standing noisily in their corner as they try to make the right noises on climate issues but have also won support from a famously progressive state.

In advance of his inauguration as President of the USA, Mr Trump burnished his anti-woke credentials by insisting that the UK Government had made a “very big mistake” by raising the windfall tax on oil and gas firms and urged Keir Starmer to get rid of windmills.

Mr Trump has promised to loosen the shackles that he reckons green types have imposed on the oil and gas industry as the US pursues a ‘drill baby drill’ policy on his watch.

The President has suspended licensing for offshore wind developments and scrapped measures to encourage uptake of electric vehicles that were introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden.

As Mr Trump also confirmed the US would exit the Paris agreement to slow global warming, his call for increased North Sea production was a gift for campaigners who portray oil and gas firms as greedy planet wreckers.

The presidential endorsement will be of no help to industry cheerleaders such as Offshore Energies UK as they try to convince critics that oil and gas firms are part of the solution to the climate change challenge.

READ MORE: North Sea jobs cull looms after blockbuster oil and gas deals

However, that claim has been reinforced by a country that is seen to be leading the way in encouraging the changes that many say must be made to achieve the required reduction in emissions.

Norway’s claim to be the electric vehicle capital of the world was reinforced earlier this month by industry figures that showed that around 90% of cars sold in the country last year were battery-powered.

Ironically, President Trump’s sidekick Elon Musk has been a big beneficiary following........

© Herald Scotland