Trump makes scathing swipe against Ed Miliband’s climate pact with US | UK | News
Trump calls clean energy, climate action deal ‘inappropriate’ (Image: Getty)
US President Donald Trump has harshly criticized the new climate and clean energy agreement between California and the UK government, calling the agreement “inappropriate” and questioning its chances of success. The memorandum of understanding, signed in London by California Governor Gavin Newsom and UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, aims to encourage cooperation on clean energy technology, including offshore wind, while creating potential jobs in the UK.
Trump targeted Newsom, a Democratic frontrunner and potential presidential candidate, calling him a “loser” and claiming his environmental policies have failed. He warned that the Commonwealth risks repeating California’s perceived mistakes, citing long-term population declines in the state due to high costs of living and taxes.
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Agreement commits California and the UK to work on tackling environmental challenges (Image: Getty)
“The worst thing the United Kingdom could do is mess with Gavin,” Trump told Politico. “If they do to England what he did to California, it will not be a very successful enterprise.”
The agreement commits California and the United Kingdom to jointly work on research, clean technology investment and strategies to address extreme weather and environmental challenges.
The deal has already provided nearly $1 billion in clean energy financing, including investments from UK-based Octopus Energy, underscoring California’s role as a hub for climate innovation.
“This government’s clean energy mission is about taking control of energy, reducing bills, creating jobs and tackling the climate crisis,” Miliband said.
“International partnerships like this strengthen opportunities for UK businesses and secure investment for the country.”
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Speaking on his European tour after attending the Munich Security Conference, Newsom argued that the agreement was an effective model of climate action.
“California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set ambitious goals and deliver results,” he said.
“Today we deepened our partnership with the United Kingdom and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in cleantech investment. California will continue to demonstrate how innovation can drive climate solutions.”
The dispute follows Trump’s decision to rescind a 2009 “endangerment finding” that supported emissions regulations for vehicles, industry and power plants, describing it as the “largest single act of deregulation in American history.”
California, meanwhile, joined 11 other states in signing climate deals with the United Kingdom, strengthening its commitment to net-zero emissions even as federal policy changes.
The California-UK pact demonstrates the growing role of subnational governments in global climate action and highlights stark differences in approach between state-level initiatives and federal policy
