Trump slates clean energy deal between Miliband and California governor

Donald Trump has criticised an environmental deal between Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and California governor Gavin Newsom to deepen co-operation across clean energy, climate action and protecting nature.

The US president used his derogatory nickname for Mr Newsom as he said it was “inappropriate” for the governor to be making international agreements and likewise for the UK to be dealing with him.

Mr Miliband and Mr Newsom met at the Foreign Office in London on Monday to agree on the “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) between the UK and the state government of California.

The aim is to boost transatlantic investment, strengthen collaborations between research institutions, support clean energy businesses to access the Californian market, and share expertise on protecting nature and building resilience to extreme weather.

The accord marks the 12th such memorandum that the UK has signed with US states, including Washington and Florida.

Mr Trump told Politico on Monday: “The UK’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum.”

The US leader added: “Gavin is a loser. Everything he’s touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster.”

He continued: “The worst thing that the UK can do is get involved in Gavin.

“If they did to the UK what he did to California, this will not be a very successful venture.”

The deal sits separately from British efforts to find common ground on energy with Mr Trump’s administration.

The federal government has rowed back on climate action and propped up fossil fuels, including revoking a scientific finding last week that legally underpinned US action to reduce planet-heating emissions and fight climate change.

But while Mr Trump has described climate change as a “hoax”, Mr Newsom has sought to expand state-level green policies in California and continued to engage in multilateral co-operation with other countries. He is widely thought to be a likely Democratic presidential contender for 2028.

Recognising the UK and California’s shared ambition and longstanding partnership on clean energy, the newly signed accord establishes a refreshed framework to drive the transition by supporting innovation, scaling up new technologies and connecting experts across both economies.

Mr Miliband said: “This Government’s clean energy mission is about taking back control of our energy to cut bills, create jobs, and tackle the climate crisis.

“Strong international partnerships like today’s announcement with the State of California strengthens opportunities for UK businesses and secures investment for our country.”

Mr Newsom said: “California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set clear goals and we deliver.

“Today, we deepened our partnership with the United Kingdom on climate action and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in clean tech investment from Octopus Energy.

“California will continue showing the world how we can turn innovation and ambition into climate action.”

The UK Energy Department said the agreement will open up new export opportunities, boost skilled job opportunities across the UK and back British businesses to compete and grow, with companies such as Octopus Energy already expanding on the US west coast.

It is hoped this closer co-operation will ultimately help to cut bills, deliver energy security by reducing exposure to fossil fuel markets, safeguard the natural environment and protect homes, public services and local economies from the impacts of climate change.

Nick Chaset, chief executive at Octopus Energy US, which has backed the new partnership, said: “As a British tech business and investor growing in the US, this MOU opens up opportunities to bring our smart technology to California, cutting energy bills and improving the customer experience.

“We are already delivering that through our work with Southern California Edison, where the Octopus Shift app enables EVs and home batteries to support the grid and give customers more control over when and how they use energy.”

While acknowledging “open disagreements” with the Trump administration on clean power, the UK Government has pushed nuclear energy as a key area of strategic agreement, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Trump signing a major nuclear power deal in September.

But Mr Trump has also repeatedly hit out at the UK’s green energy policies, describing wind energy as a “con” and arguing the country should be exploiting the North Sea fossil fuel reserves.