Jim Ratcliffe has launched a scathing attack on European energy policy as his company ramps up investment in the United States.
The Ineos chief and co-owner of Manchester United FC said 'Europe is all over the place' on energy and he has 'more confidence' in America.
And Briain Gilvary, chairman of the Ineos Energy arm of Ratcliffe's empire, said Labour's attack on the North Sea was 'almost ideological political vandalism of a natural resource'.
The comments came as the government - and in particular energy secretary Ed Miliband - face growing criticism over the refusal to grant new drilling licences and the ongoing windfall tax.
Given the political backdrop, Ratcliffe said he would rather invest in the US, where Donald Trump has urged operators to 'drill, baby, drill'.
Ratcliffe said: 'Growth in an economy is highly correlated to competitive energy prices, and it's a huge issue for national security. If you can't get energy, then you can't run your hospitals, run industry or heat your houses.
'Europe is all over the place. From an investment point of view, you always go to the stable rather than the unstable. I would have a lot more confidence in investments in America in the energy sector than I would in Europe.'
Ineos Energy has now joined forces with Shell to explore for untapped oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
The two companies will focus on opportunities near Shell's giant Appomattox platform 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
Ineos said it was part of its 'deliberate shift of investment to the United States' and 'reflects a clear view from Ineos leadership about where the conditions for long-term energy investment are most stable'.
Turning his fire on the UK, Gilvary added: 'What's going on right now is almost ideological political vandalism of a natural resource.'
'We are the only nation in the world with a resource that could be developed for energy, and we're choosing to close it down.
'That will be short-lived, that will not survive. Whether it survives this government - I don't think it will survive beyond this parliament - because of the importance of that national resource.'
The Energy Profits Levy has pushed the headline rate of tax on North Sea profits to 78%
Miliband is under mounting pressure to change course and open up the North Sea by giving the green light to drilling the Jackdaw gas and Rosebank oil fields.
Trump last month branded Labour's 'tragic' refusal to exploit lucrative oil and gas reserves 'absolutely crazy'.
And Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing calls to scrap the windfall tax that industry bosses argue is hitting investment and jobs.
The so-called Energy Profits Levy has raised the headline tax rate on oil and gas profits to 78 per cent - among the highest in the world.
Last year was the first since 1964 that no new wells were drilled in the British North Sea - with the industry blaming the windfall tax and ban on licences for exploration in new areas.
Britain has become increasingly reliant on oil and gas imports while some argue that tax revenues from new North Sea drilling could be used to ease the pressure on households and businesses battered by soaring fuel and energy bills.