Of course we shouldn’t drill for more oil in the North Sea – we cancelled further exploitation for a reason. We are at a critical point in the climate emergency and already struggling to meet emissions reduction targets. The UK government must hold its nerve.

“Instead we should let others drill for oil and then use more oil to transport it to us. That way we can claim we’re the cleanest continent and point fingers at others.”

Yes, but the obvious outcome of this mess is that oil prices continue to climb which makes expanding oil production in other areas more profitable, which leads to expansion into those areas. We’ve all seen this game before.

UK voters consistently rank climate change below both the NHS and the cost of living when asked which issues should be the government’s top priorities.

Oil prices directly still impact the cost of living in ways that renewables don’t address such as fertilizer and industrial inputs. If Trump has indeed created a sustained energy crisis, expect renewed support for more drilling.

That won’t change until voters put the climate afraid of their personal short term economic interests.