Britain’s ‘self-destructive’ net zero policies sparked riots, says Trump

Former president appears to pin far-Right violence on attempts to cut down on fossil fuels

Donald Trump has blamed Britain’s “self-destructive” net zero policies for causing the summer riots in an unusual attack on America’s closest ally.
The Republican presidential candidate posted on his personal social media network, Truth Social, to criticise the green plans of Democratic rival Kamala Harris, before launching an attack on Britain.
He appeared to pin anti-immigration riots and far-Right violence in towns across the UK on attempts to cut down on fossil fuels.
Mr Trump said: “Net Zero Lunatics are currently destroying the economies of many other countries, including the UK.
“Their radical, self-destructive policy has led the UK to the worst economic growth since 1780, now causing economic chaos, destruction, riots and death in the streets of British cities.”
It is not clear what Mr Trump meant by the worst economic growth since 1780. Academics at the University of Sussex and Loughborough University have suggested that the slowdown in productivity growth since the financial crisis is the biggest since the industrial revolution. 
Covid lockdowns caused a temporary economic contraction that economists initially feared could be as severe as that suffered during the “Great Frost of 1709”.
The pandemic hit proved slightly smaller than the worst predictions and output recovered relatively quickly.
Rioting across Britain following a mass stabbing in Southport in July has been widely blamed on misinformation, far-Right agitators and criminal opportunists.
Close to 450 people have been charged in relation to the rioting and disorder, which spread from Southport to London, Liverpool, Manchester and Sunderland. 
A number of those charged have been accused of stirring up racial hatred or other racially motivated crimes.
The rioters were egged on by false rumours spread on social media sites, including Telegram and on X.
Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters also gathered outside a Holiday Inn hotel, which housed asylum seekers, in Rotherham on Aug 4.
Attendees were seen attacking police, throwing missiles and smashing windows. Some attempted to start a fire at the hotel.
In his posts on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “Kamala Harris supports the environmental extremists’ ‘NET-ZERO’ energy policy – a radical Left agenda to abolish coal, oil, and natural gas, and plunge MILLIONS into poverty.”
He added: “In the United States, net zero fanatics like Kamala Harris want to shut down power plants, even as the cost of energy and electricity is up 30 to 50pc and climbing.”
Many senior Labour politicians have made no secret of their disdain for Mr Trump.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, called Mr Trump a “sociopath”, when he was a backbench MP in 2018. He later said the Republican leader was “no friend of Britain”.
Mr Lammy has since sought to build bridges with the Republicans, saying in May that Britain and the US “must work together” whoever is president.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Department for Energy Security & Net Zero were contacted for comment.