Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Donald Trump for the first time in person in New York today, where the US president praised his election win and delivered a pointed criticism of former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Mr Burnham said he and Mr Trump have “established a good connection in our early discussions and we’ve taken that further today” as they met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump praises Burnham's election win
Opening the meeting, Mr Trump said: “It’s an honour to be with the Prime Minister here – a great election win. That was a big one, and I think he’s going to be a great Prime Minister. I think he’s got a lot of assets on his side. And we talked about everything from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration – we covered a lot.”
Mr Trump added: “It’s a really special country and we are with you all the way Mr Prime Minister.”
Mr Burnham replied: “Thank you Mr President, that’s wonderful. We really appreciate that. This relationship matters so much to us and we’ll build on that relationship. You and I have established a good connection in our early discussions and we’ve taken that further today.”
Observers note Burnham's nerves
Journalist Narinder Kaur said Trump seemed to be in a good mood and “spoke positively about Burnham”. She wrote on X: “Personally- Burnham looked uncomfortable and out his depth. Starmer was far more confident.”
Others also pointed out how Burnham looked “nervous” and “anxious” in Trump's presence. But Trump then directed his customary criticisms towards the former UK PM Keir Starmer instead.
Put to him by a reporter that UK-US relations have been up and down, Trump replied: “No I think they're up. Well they're more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way.”
