Drill, Burnham, drill? The oil basin that is a totem for Trump - and a headache for Britain’s new PM

<p>North Sea oil, once the driving force of the UK economy, may be dwindling but it remains a symbol of prestige and a rich resource for political debate</p><p>When oil was first discovered off the north-east coast of Scotland in September 1969, industry folklore has it that the duty superintendent on the rig carefully poured it into a pickle jar commandeered from the canteen and took it back to Amoco’s Great Yarmouth office in Norfolk. There, it was emptied into an ash tray, sniffed and then set alight.</p><p>From that modest start, North Sea oil – as the huge basin of oil and gas reserves quickly became known – emerged as a driving force of the British economy and a symbol of national power and renewal as the UK emerged from the Opec oil crisis.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/aug/23/drill-burnham-north-sea-oil-basin-totem-trump-headache-britain">Continue reading...</a>