US President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the UK government’s decision to approve production from the North Sea’s Jackdaw gas field.

He said he had spoken with Burnham, telling reporters on Friday that the decision would “make the UK a very rich country”.

Trump said: “The other prime minister, the previous man, Starmer. He’s a very nice man, but he never got it done, and this one is getting it.”

The decision had been subject to intense debate around its environment and economic impact and came after years of legal challenges.

Burnham announced the decision to approve the drilling of the Jackdaw gas field earlier this week.

Jackdaw is situated 150 miles (241km) east of Aberdeen and is operated by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian state energy firm Equinor.

Ministers said the first gas could be produced by the end of this month, helping heat millions of homes, and also announced the creation of a new energy wealth fund.

Environmental campaigners say the decision would hamper efforts to tackle climate change and make “no meaningful difference” to UK energy security.

Based on official forecasts for the amount of gas the UK will need over the next decade, that suggests Jackdaw has the potential to meet around 1.6% of total projected national gas demand between 2026 and 2036.

Operators say it could be connected to the Great British gas network within weeks and could produce gas for the next 11 years.

Trump responded to the decision on Friday, but appeared to confuse oil and gas.

He said: “They’re opening up the North Sea oil. I’ve been after them to do that for two years.”

Trump added: “Andy is getting it done, and I guess it’s against the liberal principle, but he knows what’s right. It’s going to make UK a very wealthy country.”

In a discussion on Friday, Burnham and Trump spoke about the decision to approve Jackdaw.

The two leaders “agreed on the significant benefits this will bring to the UK, boosting the economy and supporting jobs for British workers”, a statement from Number 10 read.

It added that Trump and Burnham “welcomed the continued collaboration between UK and US companies, especially on nuclear power”.

Earlier this week, on Wednesday, Trump said the decision was “great news for the wealth and prosperity” of the UK.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump urged the UK to go “full blast” and called the North Sea “one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of oil in the world”.

A decision is yet to be taken on whether production can begin at Rosebank, the UK’s largest known untapped oil field, which is located off the coast of Shetland in the North Atlantic.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of “dithering” on Jackdaw and said a ban on new oil and gas licences should be repealed.

However, Burnham said her party had “messed up” the original decision by not giving any regard to climate obligations – things he said “have to be considered in the round”.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said gas from Jackdaw would be in homes and businesses this month, but that it would not lower energy bills this winter.

She said the decision was “compatible” with legally binding climate commitments, adding: “We remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050.”

Environmental groups have criticised the Jackdaw approval. Areeba Hamid, the co-executive director of Greenpeace, said it was “the wrong decision” in terms of lowering energy bills, providing energy security, and addressing climate change.

Meanwhile, Oxfam said the government had “drilled straight through the UK’s climate commitments”.

During their Friday talks, Trump and Burnham spoke about the Falkland Islands and the Sea Lion oilfield project, a joint venture between British and Israeli companies.

In September, the Argentinian government threatened to impose economic sanctions on firms exploiting oil close to the Falkland Islands, and earlier this month, it began legal action to stop the exploration of oil and gas fields.

Burnham raised the “economic consequences of Argentina’s coercive measures for the UK and US and reiterated the importance of respecting the Islanders’ right to develop their natural resources”, Downing Street said.

The two leaders also discussed Ukraine, with the prime minister underlining the importance for Ukraine “to have full access to Starlink so they can continue to defend themselves against Russia’s full-scale invasion”, according to Number 10.

Starlink technology is a satellite system owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company which Ukraine has relied upon during the war.

In recent days, Ukraine has been recording issues with the network, according to sources within the defence ministry. This has affected the country’s ability to use attack drones and co-ordinate defensive operations.

The Downing Street statement added: “The Prime Minister recognised the work of President Trump to bring Putin to the negotiation table and the leaders agreed to work together, alongside international partners to bring an end to the bloodshed.”