Octopus Energy access cleared as Newsom signs UK–California clean energy pact in London
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a memorandum of understanding in London on Monday that opens California to greater UK investment and gives octopus energy improved access to the state’s market, while also deepening cooperation on offshore wind, research and international climate commitments. The move prompted a public rebuke from President Donald Trump, making the pact a flashpoint in an already heated political debate.
Newsom signs pact in London
Newsom met with U. K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in London as part of a European tour and signed a new clean energy pact that pledges collaboration on technologies such as offshore wind, the governor said on Monday. Newsom, a likely future Democratic presidential candidate, said the agreement deepens the partnership with the United Kingdom and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in clean tech investment from Octopus Energy.
Octopus Energy gains market access
The memorandum will enable better access for U. K. firms including Octopus Energy, the country’s biggest energy supplier, to California’s market, the U. K. ’s Energy Security and Net Zero Department said on Monday. Newsom told the London audience: "California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set clear goals and we deliver, " and said the state would "continue showing the world how we can turn innovation and ambition into climate action. " The pact also underpins collaboration between British and Californian research institutions.
Trump lashes out in an interview
President Trump vented his fury at the deal in an interview, using the derogatory nickname he reserves for Newsom and saying, "The UK’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum. " He went on to call Newsom a "loser, " to say "Everything he’s touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster, " and to describe it as "inappropriate" for Newsom to strike such agreements and "inappropriate for them [the UK] to be dealing with him. "
Scope: wind, AI, wildfires and biodiversity
The memorandum creates a framework to scale up clean energy technologies and to enhance ties between businesses and researchers; California is described in the agreement as effectively the world’s fourth largest global economy. On Monday in London, Newsom and Miliband also discussed artificial intelligence and its implications for energy, and lessons from California’s wildfires — a subject over which Trump and Newsom have clashed, with the president blaming wildfire management on the state. The U. K. and California will share practical expertise on protecting biodiversity and building resilience amid extreme weather, Miliband’s department said.
Domestic and diplomatic ripples
Miliband pushed back at the U. S. president’s jibe that offshore wind is for "losers, " saying that "strong international partnerships" would strengthen "opportunities for U. K. businesses and secures investment for our country. " A source close to Miliband called the London meeting "a productive meeting based on the huge clean energy jobs and investment opportunities that the U. K. and California can bring to one another. " The deal comes as the Trump administration withdrew the U. S. from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change earlier this year, a move the memorandum explicitly seeks to counter by enshrining both sides’ continued commitment to the treaty.
Broader UK political context and next steps
The signing sits amid several domestic British political items: the Druzhba pipeline has provoked a row between Hungary and the EU over support for Ukraine; a controversial Whitehall gas contract is up for renewal and MPs and Ukrainian campaigners want the British state to change its supplier. Trade Minister Chris Bryant is heading to Paris next month to lobby France, and Newsom’s London visit followed his appearance at the Munich Security Conference and a meeting in New York in September. Newsom used the European trip to meet Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who criticised Trump; both Newsom and Miliband are described as betes noires for the new populist right. Nigel Farage said Miliband would be the most likely candidate to replace Keir Starmer if Starmer were forced out after a disastrous local election performance, and Farage said Labour would then "shift to the left. "
The next confirmed public step tied to the diplomatic thread of this story is Trade Minister Chris Bryant’s trip to Paris next month to lobby France; the signing itself follows Newsom and Miliband’s earlier meeting in New York in September.
